If Victor Wembanyama managed a complete match against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday November 26 in the NBA, he was unable to prevent the twelfth consecutive defeat of his team, the San Antonio Spurs (132-120). The 19-year-old French prodigy, number 1 in the spring draft, shone with 22 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 blocks and 6 steals in twenty-four minutes. But the Spurs were quickly overtaken by the defending champion Denver, who nevertheless had four defeats in five games. They notably fell on the Serbian pivot Nikola Jokic, once again immense, with thirty-nine points, eleven rebounds and nine assists.
“[Wembanyama] played aggressively, weighed on the match in many ways, blocking, scoring, passing,” praised his coach Gregg Popovich. “He is an unselfish player who quickly forgets his mistakes. His defense continues to improve, every game he learns, how the league works, the way we want to play, he is constantly improving. I want him to play close to the circle [like a pivot] but also outside, he has the means to play well in both positions,” said the coach about the versatile Frenchman, who is both immense (2.24 m ) and agile, who is starting to spend more time in the “low post” in recent matches.
The Texans, the youngest squad in the NBA, remain in last place in the Western Conference (three wins – fourteen losses). They haven’t won since November 2 in Phoenix. After a rare three-day break in the NBA, they will host Atlanta on Thursday.
