Coming off a supernatural experience that opened the eyes of the basketball world against the Mavericks, the Spurs traveled to the Smoothie King Center to take on the New Orleans Pelicans. This time, a back-and-forth
affair ensued. After Zion Williamson put Victor Wembanyama on a semi-poster, Wemby proceeded to block him at the rim three times in two minutes. As the Spurs and Pels battled, some common themes from last season were beginning to emerge. The Spurs were not guarding the three-point line effectively, and they were also accumulating foul trouble.
Then there was a specific moment in the fourth quarter where a switch was flipped. After falling behind 93-86 with 8:10 remaining, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson made a bold move by pulling Wemby and Stephon Castle from the game. The Spurs then embarked on a 14-0 run with rookie Dylan Harper leading the way. Down to under 30 seconds remaining in the fourth, the Spurs found themselves down by 2. Then, Castle drained a clutch three to take the lead. After Zion got fouled on the next possession, he split his free throws. Wemby then missed a contested fallaway jumper at the buzzer to send the game to OT.
In OT, Wemby fouled out early, and the Spurs were once again in a tough spot. However, Castle and Julian Champagnie nailed key shots to widen their lead. Despite some late missed free throws and turnovers, the Spurs escaped New Orleans with a 120-116 OT win.
Wembanyama had another tremendous game with 29 points, 11 rebounds, 9 blocks, two assists, and a steal. He fought double and triple teams for most of the contest and was arguably robbed of a triple-double due to some blocks being counted as deflections. As long as Wemby stays healthy, this season’s trajectory could reach a ceiling beyond what fans anticipated.
Too easy! Wemby extends after the post spin and finishes with ease for his points of the game!
NOPE! Wemby rejects Zion at the rim!
He’s got the moves! Wemby spins and drains a turnaround jumper over Zion!
AREA 51 is here! Steph lobs it up to Wemby on the fast break for an extraterrestrial jam!
NOPE AGAIN! Wemby keeps trying to teach Zion some lessons about going up with no fear!
Patience is key. Wemby shows he’s not settling for threes like last year and takes his time for the easy slam!
FLIGHT 1 CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF!
NOPE x3! Wemby rejects another Pelican at the rim. You’d think they get the hint?
Wemby stat-pad? Wemby gets multiple rebounds on this putback bucket!
NOPE x4! Jordan Poole attempts a layup at the rim, and it’s immediately swatted away by Wemby!
2-WAY PLAYER! Wemby grabs the steal on one end and fills the lane for the fastbreak AREA 51 connection!
NOPE (this is getting ridiculous)! The Pels keep testing Wemby at the rim, and he swats two shots in 5 seconds!
Finish your breakfast! Wemby cleans up his missed shot with a putback that looks too easy!
Another lob, another Wemby finish! Devin Vassell takes the behind-the-back pass from Wemby and lobs it back to him for another fastbreak finish!
CLUTCH AREA 51 CONNECTION! Steph finds Wemby for the reverse alley-oop finish late in the fourth.
UNGUARDABLE! Wemby spins off of rookie Derik Queen in the post and has one of his easiest buckets of the game!
Devin Vassell dropped buckets on the Pels with 23 points (6 threes), five rebounds, an assist, and a steal. This is the Dev that Spurs fans love to see. Dropping bombs from three-point-land and clamping down on defense. He looks comfortable playing at shooting guard to start the season. Let’s hope he keeps this pace up at small forward when De’Aaron Fox returns from injury.
Silky smooth stroke! Dev knocks down one of his six threes from the wing!
Stephon Castle had one of the more interesting games of his career. He dropped 16 points, six rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a block. However, he also committed nine turnovers. Some of his lapses in judgment plays were canceled out by his clutch three late in the fourth. He’s only in his second year and still looks aggressive at every turn. He’ll be even more deadly when Fox comes back.
CLEAR THE RUNWAY! Steph takes off two feet and finishes with two hands for safety!
Clutch gene activated. Steph pulls up for the go-ahead three after Trey Murphy III sags off of him. BANG.
Luke Kornet dropped a double-double off the bench: 14 points and 12 rebounds. He also chipped in four assists and a block. Luke has been one of the most underrated signings in the league so far by providing an insurance policy on defense when Wemby sits on the bench, and while playing with him! He is an excellent pick-and-roll man and fills in the gaps on both ends.
KORNET SLAM! After setting the pick for Harper, he gets rewarded with a wide-open jam!
Dylan Harper dropped 13 points, five rebounds, and three dimes to go along with a steal. Dylan struggled early with his shot, but quickly redeemed himself by sparking a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter when the Spurs needed life. With Dylan and Luke P&R, there’s no more worrying about the Wemby-less minutes. Even though he’s a rookie, his finishing ability looks elite!
Lightning McQueenesque! Dylan speeds past Murphy III for the layup for the deuce!
All in all, this was a gutsy win that had its ups and downs. Some could argue that Wemby was punished for being tall and was given phantom fouls every time Zion tried to force contact. Despite those foul calls, there was a lot to clean up for Sunday’s game. The turnovers and especially the missed free throws are killers for any team trying to establish themselves. Nonetheless, a 2-0 start is a 2-0 start.
Finally, here are the full game highlights.
The Spurs take on the Brooklyn Nets in their home opener this Sunday at 1:00 P.M. (CST) on FDSN-SW.
