The learning continues for Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, beaten last night at the Minnesota Timberwolves (112-110) in a fairly indecisive meeting that they also had the opportunity to win. After a week-long trip around Christmas on the east coast, San Antonio stopped in Minnesota, in the heart of the American Midwest. And did not know how to follow up with an important victory in the fight in the final stages. The Spurs collapsed during the second quarter, but as often this season, they raised their heads after returning from the locker room.
The second half was much better, the Texans came back into the game, in particular thanks to their French pivot, author of 22 of his 34 points after the break. But the Spurs were not decisive enough in the last minutes, the most important: Victor Wembanyama missed a free throw which would have allowed his team to get back on track with 20 seconds to go, and the following actions did not haven’t really been handled well by San Antonio. “We failed against what a good NBA team looks like on the outside,” said Mitch Johnson, Spurs coach. There are some lessons to be learned from this. The Wolves are good, strong, collective, and very good defensively. This was particularly evident in the second quarter. »
Wemby tried hard but messed up a lot. The team gives him the ball a lot this season, whether to initiate or conclude actions, but the Frenchman’s effectiveness proves to be very variable: 4 out of 12 from three points last night in Minnesota. Victor Wembanyama also grabbed 8 rebounds, and made 2 assists and 2 blocks. A stat sheet of this order would mean an extremely successful performance for the majority of NBA players. Not for Wemby, who has set such high standards that everyone expects him to be decisive in almost every match. The second highest scorer on his team is Harrison Barnes, with 24 points…
Gobert efficient and victorious
Opposite, the other Frenchman, Rudy Gobert, was efficient. He contributed to the Wolves’ domination in the paint (60 points in the paint, compared to 40 for the Spurs). His physique and his knowledge of positioning did a lot of harm to Spurs who were visibly blunted from their stay in New York. Rudy Gobert finished with 17 points, but also 15 rebounds, for a very strong double-double. For the Timberwolves, the difference mainly came from Donte DiVincenzo, particularly in three-point success (5 out of 10 and 26 points in total).
With his 34 points, Victor Wembanyama finished as the top scorer of the match. But that will not console him: with this defeat, the 16th this season, San Antonio falls to 10th place in the Western Conference.