The San Antonio Spurs completed their two-game road trip and flew back to Texas for their single-game homestand. Hosting Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks, the two teams produced an extremely action-packed thriller of a battle. A contest that witnessed a total of nine lead changes & ties ultimately saw Victor Wembanyama and co. suffering a tough 135-137 loss.
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The duo of Jeremy Sochan and Victor Wembanyama played really well. The two Spurs combined for 54 points, 20 rebounds, and 21 made field goals. However, it was Trae Young, whose performance completely eclipsed the Spurs pair’s. Playing a game-high 39:57 minutes, the sharpshooting guard recorded 45 points and 14 assists on 51.7% FG.
Prior to tip-off, there was a lot of uncertainty regarding Wemby’s availability. For the first time in the campaign, the rookie’s name appeared on the injury report. Due to hip tightness, several fans believed that the 7ft 4” big man was about to miss his first game of the season. However, the prodigy did take on the floor. Speaking about the entire thought process that went behind taking the decision, during the postgame conference, the French phenom revealed:
“The offset was I felt good, we just were trying to see how I feel through the day after the practice, after the nap. It’s just so we didn’t change our decision last minute… I’ve got my treatment tonight, I’m going, of course, with the team. It’s day-to-day, you know?”
Victor #Wembanyama addresses the media after the Spurs 137-135 loss to Atlanta.
Wembanyama talks about how the circumstances today dealing with the hip tightness and uncertainty of playing. pic.twitter.com/MSjRVhr43F
— Mary Rominger (@KSATMaryRom) December 1, 2023
Even though Gregg Popovich’s boys suffered only a two-point loss, Wemby was extremely critical of their defense. Putting emphasis on the fact that they allowed their opposition to score 137 points, Wemby expressed his concerns.
Victor Wembanyama might not play against the Pelicans
The news of Victor Wembanyama suiting up against the Atlanta Hawks came as a pleasant surprise to many. At no point in the contest did the European star seem bothered by his hip injury. However, following the loss, Gregg Popovich spoke about the possibility of the rookie being sidelined during tomorrow night’s contest against the New Orleans Pelicans.
“We’re trying to protect it. He may not play tomorrow,” the San Antonio Spurs head coach announced.
Spurs postgame
Pop says #VictorWembanyama may not play tomorrow at the Pelicans⬇️#PorVida #GoSpursGo #Spurs pic.twitter.com/PTwxWuuCwz
— Hector Ledesma (@HectorLedesmaTV) December 1, 2023
With the New Orleans Pelicans witnessing Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, and Brandon Ingram being in form, it will certainly be a tough task for the Wembanyama-less Spurs to grab the win.
Victor Wembanyama has been having an impressive rookie season, so far. The 19-year-old has put up 19.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game. However, Wemby’s successful campaign hasn’t translated to the Spurs winning games.
Currently, the San Antonio franchise is on a 13-game losing skid. Holding onto a 3-15 record, they are currently sitting at the dead last spot of the Western Conference.
