As in the song, Victor Wembanyama declared, with a calm voice and a determined look: “I want to be a part of it
”
. He was talking about the NBA but the mixed voices of Liza Minnelli and Frank Sinatra still came to our ears. The song, “New York, New York”, fits perfectly with the evening and the prestigious victory of the Spurs over the Knicks last night in San Antonio (130-126 after overtime).
WHAT. A. BATTLE. 🤯
Jalen Brunson: 61 PTS (career high) | 25 FGM | 5 3PM | 6 AST
Victor Wembanyama: 40 PTS (career high) | 20 REB | 7 AST
Spurs top the Knicks in an overtime THRILLER. pic.twitter.com/SSF1NOUDWp
— NBA (@NBA) March 30, 2024
40 points (career record), 20 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 block: Victor Wembanyama was brilliant against one of the top names in the American League, 4th in the Eastern Conference and on his way to the play-offs. Among the Knicks, another player worked miracles: leader Jalen Brunson scored 61 points (1 point behind the franchise record, held by Carmelo Anthony), but against Wemby we have to believe that it is not enough . “I want to exist in this League, more and more,” declares the Spurs rookie. I'm not at my best yet but I'm on the right path. Already competing with this type of player (
Editor's note: Brunson)
shows me that I am on the right track. »
Youngest player in the NBA with 40 points and 20 rebounds
Victor Wembanyama yesterday became the youngest player in NBA history to score with 40 points and 20 rebounds, and the first rookie since Shaquille O'Neal in 1993. He is also the first San Antonio player to reaching the mark of 40 points, 20 rebounds and 5 assists in the same match, the sign of his ultra-complete palette. The Spurs, for their part, have a third consecutive victory for… the first time this season.
Also read: Spurs boss crazy about Wembanyama: “What the NBA is experiencing with Victor, no one has ever seen it before”
However, he was expected against New York, one of the most physical teams in the championship. He completely ate his opponents: Isaiah Hartenstein ended up being sent off for a 6th foul and Mitchell Robinson, returning from a long injury, finished on one leg due to having to react on one side, then the other , to the liveliness of the Frenchman in the racket. “Sometimes I forget that he is 20 years old,” notes his coach Gregg Popovich. When he loses a ball, he gets right back into the game, there's no need to yell at him to wake him up. It shows who he's going to be when he understands the physicality he's going to have to endure. He has great passing instincts too, which makes him special. »
40 point night for @wemby! 🤩🤩🤩#PorVida | @Spurs | @BallySports 📺 pic.twitter.com/I1uy28WhxY
— Bally Sports San Antonio (@BallySportsSA) March 30, 2024
On the way out, at Madison Square Garden in November, Wembanyama suffered and the merciless New York audience sang “Overrated” to him. Six months later, the situation has changed and it is no longer the same player who enters the court. His first year in the NBA shows undeniable progression, and the excitement of the public, already enormous at the start, reached disproportionate proportions, especially in San Antonio.
For Spurs fans, it's the return of the savior
Returning to the locker room in the middle of the first quarter to recover from a minor shock to his right leg, he made the crowd roar when, shortly before the start of the second act, he took the corridor, in the another meaning this time, to come back into play. The situation had something of the return of the savior. “Of course I heard the reaction from the fans,” he says, smiling afterwards.
WEMBY CLUTCH 3 FOR 40 ‼️
A new career high for the rookie 👏
Knicks-Spurs | Live on the NBA App
📲 https://t.co/XQAjh3HuFW pic.twitter.com/iISuhLhbNj
— NBA (@NBA) March 30, 2024
Did he also see the Texans fans stand up and even jump in the air, when 1 minute from the end of overtime, he slammed a decisive 3-pointer with only a second of possession left in his team ? He then returned to his camp, rolling his shoulders, satisfied, and Spurs took a 4-point lead, an advantage which proved decisive at this point in the match. Earlier, however, he had been less happy in his shot choices, notably at 3 points (4 out of 9), particularly in the fourth quarter when another of his long-range attempts, 1 minute from the end of the regulation time, had failed largely.
He then recovered, with nerves of steel, by causing a foul and converting his two free throws which sent his team into overtime. The Spurs, ahead by 21 points shortly before half-time, had managed, as often, to let their opponents come back into the game. And then Victor Wembanyama did the song for them.