The NBA Rookie of the Year favorites Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren came face-to-face at AT&T Center on Thursday in a game that was highly anticipated only for the fact that the two rookies were locking horns. OKC were expected to brush off the basement boys of the Western Conference, but they were in for a Victor Wembanyama-sized surprise.
Coming into the game with an 11-48 record, the Spurs had only pride to play for. Gregg Popovich’s side was fully expected to tank loses till the end of the season to favor their draft luck. But that was far from the case when the two sides took court.
Victor Wembanyama shines in statement win over OKC
Victor Wembanyama put on a clinic on Thursday night, scoring 28 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists but his 3-pointers in the last couple of minutes stole the show against the Thunder, locking a 132-118 victory for the Spurs.
He showed his versatility with 5 blocks, and 2 steals, showcasing his talent when his team needed it the most. In one of the highlight moments of the game, Wemby rose above 7’1″ Chet Holmgren to make a tremendous block on the OKC rookie, earning a rapturous ovation from the crowd.
In a post-game interview, the 20-year-old said, “It’s a lot of mental,” quoting the NBA legend Kobe Bryant. He continued, “You know Kobe said to win a game, it mostly takes shots, big shots, because they don’t call like any fouls. It’s not as much a physical battle. Even though in defense it’s 90 percent effort, offensively it’s a lot of mental.“
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Despite being the bottom team in the table, they were successful in beating one of the strongest teams in the Western Conference table, the second-seeded OKC Thunder. Victor’s rookie rival, Chet Holmgren said, “Any team can beat another on any given night, regardless of record or anything.“
With his exceptional performance against the OKC, Wemby once again showed the world why Kevin Durant called him the future face of the NBA.
NBA Twitter reacts to Victor Wembanyama’s ROTY debate-ending performance
In the Spurs versus OKC game, when the two hot favorites for the ROTY title race per SN, Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren faced off, the NBA community found it easier to select who was slightly more talented. NBA fans felt Wemby ended the debate with his steal from Holmgren and their reaction says it all. Here are some of the fan reactions on Twitter:
An NBA fan commented, “Wemby sealed the ROTY award,” with full confidence that Wemby would win the title race and others seconded that.
Another fan added, “Wemby said he don’t wanna hear another debate after tonight!“
While another comment addressed Wemby as the far superior one, “Yeah that’s a sealed ROTY race if i’ve ever seen one. Wemby is far and away better than Chet.“
Someone tagged Wemby and wrote that he was going to be the clear winner, “@wemby is going to be ROTY!!!”
Despite Wemby’s weekly heroics, Chet Holmgren will have more to say in the ROTY race as his side is well on course for a playoff finish, whereas the French phenomenon’s race will run out by the end of the regular season.
