The San Antonio Spurs returned to the NBA’s Christmas Day slate after eight years with Victor Wembanyama as the team’s key attraction. Taking on the Knicks at the Madison Square Garden, the Spurs put up a valiant fight, ultimately falling short 117-114.
Advertisement
Victor Wembanyama put up historic numbers for his NBA Christmas Day debut, recording 42 points with 18 rebounds, four assists, four blocks, and a steal to go along with it. He became the third player after Wilt Chamberlain(45) and Tracy McGrady to record a 40-point performance in their Xmas debut.
At the same time, he became the third player after Wilt Chamberlain and Nikola Jokic to record a 40-point, 15-rebound game on Christmas. Despite the incredible individual performance, Wemby did not want to rest on his laurels after the game.
“I’m thinking about the game right now and just thinking, we’re close, but we lack some attributes,” said Wembanyama after the team’s loss.
Wemby wasn’t into talking much about posting one of the greatest Christmas Day games in NBA history:
“I’m thinking about the game right now and just thinking, we’re close, but we lack some attributes.”
— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) December 25, 2024
The San Antonio Spurs had the game in their grasp with seven minutes left in the 4th. However, Mikal Bridges continued to make big shots and led the team past the Spurs. Once again, the young Spurs team couldn’t manage to close out the game in the clutch. However, Chris Paul did not want the Spurs to get the “young team” get-out-of-jail card. He wants the Spurs to shed the ‘young team’ mentality and take on the situation as pros.
CP sends a message: “We got to get to that point where all that ‘young guy stuff’ got to go out the window. We pros just like everybody else and there’s a grit and a will that you got to have in this league in order to figure out ways to win those games, especially on the road.”
— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) December 25, 2024
Finishing off close games has been a troublesome aspect for the Spurs since last season. Many expected the team to be more organized in the clutch with CP3 on their roster, but that hasn’t been the case so far. The Spurs would like to get the bitter taste of defeat out of their mouths when they face off the Nets on Friday.
