Wembanyama shines in return despite loss to Warriors

Highlights from the Spurs loss to the Warriors

The San Antonio Spurs were riding a high after a big win on the road against the Golden State Warriors. Heading back home, facing the same opponent and picking up your two best players adds to that excitement. Unfortunately, the Spurs couldn’t keep up their momentum throughout the whole game, letting Golden State go on a 30-6 run in the third quarter on the way to a 112-102 loss.

The game marked the return of Victor Wembanyama, who missed the last two games with an ankle injury. He was back to his usual stat-stuffing self in an impactful game against Golden State. Wembanyama finished with 27 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. He was particularly good in the fourth quarter, where it looked like he might just pull the Spurs back into the game.

Right after knocking down a three-pointer, Wembanyama used his offensive gravity to draw two defenders off the bounce, and find the wide open Keldon Johnson for three. The rookie’s skill as a passer can unlock the Spurs offense, particularly in crunch time when teams start to send doubles at him.

All game the Warriors avoided challenging Wembanyama at the rim. He didn’t record a block until this one on Moses Moody in the third quarter. Down the stretch he impacted the game simply with his presence on the interior. The Spurs stopped the Warriors from scoring for three-straight minutes down the stretch, but couldn’t capitalize on the offensive end.

Wembanyama showed off his deep bag of tricks on the low block against the Warriors smaller interior defenders. This spin into a dunk over Jonathan Kuminga was an impressive and powerful move.

Of course it wouldn’t be a Wembanyama highlight piece without a “Nerf Hoop” dunk. Wembanyama plays the passing lane perfectly here, has time to look back at Trayce Jackson-Davis and still elevate above the rim for the smooth dunk.

Zach Collins had a good game off the bench as well. He’s been playing some inspired hoops since returning from the All-Star break. Collins finished the game with 10 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks off the bench. This play spin move around Draymond Green was one of his best plays of the night.

Tre Jones had a solid start to the third quarter, pushing the pace, finding the open man and pestering the opponent on defense. Jones finished the game with 6 points, 7 assists and a steal. This acrobatic finish was a rare flashy play from the steady point guard.

The Spurs will host the Houston Rockets on the second game of a back to back on Tuesday. They’ll look to bounce back against a short handed Rockets squad.

Check out full highlights from the Spurs loss to the Warriors below.