“I wanted to dunk on Wemby”: Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs collapse at the end of the match in Chicago

Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs lost a game they practically won. San Antonio held a lead of up to 19 points deep into the third quarter, but inexplicably let up in the final minutes. The Chicago Bulls took the lead for the first time in the game… with 47 seconds remaining (114-110).

In the middle of all this, Victor Wembanyama also completely shut down: no baskets during the last quarter, despite several attempts, including those for the win and then the equalizer. Until then, Wemby had once again delivered a high-level performance. He finished with 23 points, 14 rebounds, 8 blocks and 4 assists.

“The attention to detail and those little things that allowed us to lead have evaporated,” coach Mitch Johnson tries to explain. You have to fight human nature, and fight against being happy with yourself when everything is going well. We felt the match change. There are times in the match where you have to impose your will. When you leave a team alive, you risk that. »

“We didn’t respect the basketball gods”

The Spurs still led by 15 points at the start of the fourth quarter. A catastrophic end to the match from Spurs put the Bulls back in the game. In the last seven minutes, only Chris Paul was able to score points (7). “Maybe we don’t adapt enough when the end of the match comes,” says Wemby. The adversaries manage to adapt. This is something I will work on. Try to predict the adjustments of opposing defenses. We need to have more than just one plan. We didn’t respect the game and the basketball gods. »

Wemby had nevertheless made Wemby a large part of the meeting. At the start of the match, he against the opposing pivot, Nikola Vucevic, for the first time, then a second time, so much so that the Montenegro pivot refused to face him a third time a few moments later! During the second quarter, he scored against rookie Matas Buzelis, who probably thought he had scored.

The Frenchman continued his harvest of counterattacks in the fourth quarter by preventing Jalen Smith from scoring twice, in two seconds, then by denying him access to the circle a third time, by making a foul. An aggressiveness that ends up evaporating at the end of the match. While his team was still ahead, Wemby missed a first three-point attempt, then a mid-range shot.

With 15 seconds remaining, the Spurs trailed by 3 points and had the equalizer. The ball is given to Victor Wembanyama, although he is stopped and this is not the shooting position in which he is generally effective. But the Frenchman has acquired this status of “franchise player”, the player around whom the team revolves, and the decisive shots will now be attributed to him most of the time.

“This defeat is hard to swallow,” continues Wemby. It’s very frustrating. But we probably need that to grow. We should have more victories, but in fact we don’t deserve them. We are there, this is our level. » San Antonio will remain in the Midwest, with a meeting scheduled for Wednesday in Milwaukee.