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SAN ANTONIO — With the NBA season right down to its closing 20-plus video games, Thursday night time’s assembly at Frost Financial institution Middle between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder perceived to have a higher impression on this season’s NBA Rookie of the Yr race than something associated to the higher reaches of the Western Convention standings.
Who would win the third particular person head-to-head between star rookies Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio’s 7-foot-4 French heart, and Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma Metropolis’s 7-1 submit man drafted in 2022 however nonetheless a rookie due to an harm that price him the complete 2022-23 season?
Wasn’t the sport itself destined to be one other simple win for the Thunder, identical to their 36-point blowout of the Spurs on Nov. 14 in Oklahoma Metropolis and the 26-point crushing of them in San Antonio on Jan. 24?
What transpired earlier than one other sellout crowd was the tip of the rookie race with a little bit of impression on the race for the No. 1 seed within the Western playoffs.
Wembanyama led the Spurs to a spirit-lifting 132-118 victory over the first-place Thunder whereas additionally presenting clear proof to any remaining on-the-fence ROY voters that he deserves each first-place vote.
Wembanyama’s closing manufacturing — 28 factors, 13 rebounds, seven assists, 5 blocks and two steals — wasn’t the proof as a lot because the totality of his sport, particularly at each ends within the fourth quarter. That interval started with the Spurs clinging to a 98-96 lead and ended with a convincing, 14-point victory.
Enjoying the complete closing stanza, Wemby owned it virtually as completely as 39-year-old Los Angeles Lakers famous person LeBron James had the earlier night time when he poured in 19 fourth-quarter factors to convey the Lakers back from 21 down for a win over the LA Clippers.
Two unicorns, born 20 years aside.
With an 11-48 document getting into Thursday’s sport, the Spurs had skilled quite a lot of seemingly winnable video games that went wanting within the stress of the fourth interval. Such was the case final week in five-point losses to each the Sacramento Kings and Lakers as they continued a nine-game rodeo street journey that led to Minneapolis on Tuesday.
How was Wembanyama in a position to write a contented ending towards OKC in his staff’s first sport in its dwelling enviornment since Feb. 3? By channeling his inside Kobe Bryant, the late Lakers Corridor of Famer who was one of many all-time crunchtime greats and an early muse for a pre-teen Parisian basketball phenom now referred to as Wemby.
“It’s loads of psychological,” Wembanyama mentioned “You already know, Kobe mentioned to win a sport, it largely takes photographs, huge photographs, as a result of they don’t name, like, any fouls. It’s not as a lot the bodily battle. Despite the fact that in protection it’s 90 % effort, however offensively it’s loads of psychological.”
Whereas Wembanyama made solely two photographs within the fourth, each of them 3-pointers, the Spurs ran their offense by way of him for the majority of the interval. He additionally had three of his seven assists within the fourth and two of his 5 blocks.
“He isn’t afraid to place himself on the market,” Corridor of Fame Spurs coach Gregg Popovich mentioned. “He’ll take photographs and he’s not afraid. He isn’t fearful if he misses it or what the implications are or something like that. He likes these moments.”
That, too, could be very Kobe.
Earlier than the sport was over, Wembanyama had made slightly extra NBA historical past: He’s the primary participant ever with over 25 factors, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 blocks and 5 3-pointers in a sport.
Afterward, he did an impromptu on-court interview for the sellout crowd of 17,207, letting Spurs followers how he felt about being in entrance of them for the primary time in practically a month.
“I actually missed this s—,” he instructed them earlier than calling for a fast “Go Spurs Go” chant.
Just a few of his teammates had been nonetheless inside earshot when Wemby had the “pardon my French” second.
“I feel simply let him be him,” guard Tre Jones mentioned, laughing at his 20-year-old teammate’s scatological fake pas. “We don’t need to change that. Look the place it’s gotten him so far.”
As for the ROY race, Jones and the remainder of Wembanyama’s teammates appear shocked anybody would imagine it stays a race in any respect, it doesn’t matter what Wemby himself asserts.
“I really feel prefer it’s been over,” guard Devin Vassell, who scored 28 factors, “however night time in, night time out, the stuff that he does, the impression that he has on each ends of the ground … huge shot after huge block, after regardless of the case could also be. I imply, he doesn’t even seem like a rookie.
“I imply the photographs that he shoots, the boldness that he has in his sport is second to none, in truth.”
Wembanyama, although, reminded everybody that greater than 20 video games stay for each groups. That, he insists, means it’s too quickly to name it over.
For his half, Holmgren additionally had his moments Thursday, largely within the first quarter, when he outscored Wembanyama 11-2. By halftime, he had 19 factors on 6-of-7 capturing and appeared intent on making his case for ROY votes.
However the second half belonged to Wemby, who makes no excuses for wanting an honor that now appears sure to be his so long as he performs no less than 12 extra video games to achieve the NBA’s 65-game minimal for awards eligibility.
“It’s essential for me as a result of I’m satisfied that the easiest way for me to assist my staff is by being additionally individually acting on an entire season,” he mentioned. “So, sure, particular person awards like Rookie of the Yr, are essential for me.”
It was clear Thursday that each rookie 7-footers had been pumped for an additional probability to compete towards each other. So long as each gamers stay wholesome, NBA followers will likely be watching this rivalry for a really very long time. Sometime, longtime Spurs followers could also be asking themselves how their rivalry compares to that of Corridor of Famers David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon and Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal.
All 4 of these nice 7-footers have championship rings and this newest pair of 7-foot superstars, the so-called skinny towers, appear destined for a similar.
(Picture of Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren: Darren Carroll / NBAE through Getty Photos)
