Victor Wembanyama, at just 20 years and 39 days old, has already made a significant impact in the world of NBA, surpassing records held by legends such as Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, Ralph Sampson and David Robinson!
In a match where San Antonio defeated Toronto with a score of 122-99, the young French player shone by scoring 27 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and making ten blocks in just 29 minutes on the court. Remarkably, he was also close to a quadruple double, having already made five assists by halftime.
The only other players to achieve at least 25 points, ten rebounds, five assists and ten blocks in a single game are the four aforementioned legends. Wembanyama joined this elite group at the tender age of 20.
Furthermore, no rookie has accomplished a triple double with ten blocks since David Robinson in 1990, and only Mark Eaton and Ralph Sampson have achieved this feat since 1983.
Impressively, Wembanyama is the second youngest player in NBA history to have ten blocks in a game, after Josh Smith who achieved this at 19 years and 13 days old.
The moment Wembanyama stepped onto the court in Toronto, he received a standing ovation from the packed Scotiabank Arena. Within the first 150 seconds of the game, he had a block, a three-pointer, a rebound, a two-pointer, another block and two free throws, leading San Antonio to a 10-0 lead and earning the admiration of the crowd.
During his first six minutes on the court, Wembanyama had already scored nine points, grabbed four rebounds, made two assists and three blocks. In stark contrast, the key player for the Raptors, Scottie Barnes, had not managed to score a basket in his first nine minutes on the court.
By halftime, the score was 50-67 in favour of San Antonio, with Wembanyama contributing 19 points. The Spurs’ lead extended to 31 points (67-98) in the second half.
Devin Vassell scored 25 points for the Spurs, while Gradey Dick led Toronto with 18 points. Barnes ended the game with seven points and left the court frustrated, just 20 seconds before the game ended.
In another match, New York lost to Houston 105-103, marking their third consecutive loss and ending Houston’s four-game losing streak. Despite trailing by 14 points at halftime, New York caught up with Houston and had a chance at victory. However, a last-minute foul by Brunson on Aaron Holiday led to a win for Houston.
Dillon Brooks was the top scorer for Houston with 23 points and five rebounds, while Jabari Smith Jr. contributed 20 points and seven rebounds. Jalen Brunson, with 27 points and seven assists, was New York’s top scorer. Donte DiVicenzo contributed 23 points, four assists and five rebounds to New York’s cause.
Bojan Bogdanović scored 15 points, becoming the club’s fourth highest scorer. He also made four rebounds, one block and one turnover in 23 minutes.
Golden State continued their winning streak, securing their fifth consecutive win after beating Utah Jazz 129-107. The entire Golden State team scored double-digit points, with Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry scoring 26 and 25 points respectively. Curry also had 10 assists and six rebounds.
Dario Saric played for 11 and a half minutes for Golden State but failed to score. He missed both his three-point and two-point attempts but managed to make three rebounds and one assist.
In the Western Conference derby, Minnesota defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 121-100. The home team suffered a severe blow in the third quarter, losing 19-40. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards led Minnesota to victory with 24 and 23 points respectively.
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were the top scorers for the Clippers with 18 points each. Croatian center Ivica Zubac played for 22 and a half minutes, during which he scored six points, made 11 rebounds, two assists, one block and two turnovers.
