Wemby emotional after Spurs’ 25-point comeback vs. Clippers

SAN ANTONIO — Following the Spurs’ 116-112 victory on Friday against the LA Clippers, while head coach Mitch Johnson spoke with the press, a joyful atmosphere emanated from the team’s changing area just moments away.

Playing for the second consecutive evening, San Antonio clawed back from a 25-point disadvantage, marking the team’s second-most significant turnaround during the play-by-play statistical period (starting 1997-98), elevating their standing since February 1st to an impressive 14-1, unmatched across the league. This represents their strongest performance over a 15-match stretch since the 2015-16 campaign, a season where the Spurs secured a team-record 67 victories, as indicated by ESPN analysis.

“I’m utterly spent at this moment,” stated Victor Wembanyama, who conveyed to ESPN in his post-game court-side discussion that he felt “on the verge of collapsing.”

“This counted among the finest victories,” he further remarked. “It was among my top games, a highlight of my professional journey, and my entire involvement in basketball.”

Wembanyama accumulated a team-leading 27 points, highlighted by the decisive basket where he secured a lengthy fast-break pass from De’Aaron Fox, finishing with a dunk just 16 seconds from the final buzzer, igniting immense excitement among the Frost Bank Center spectators.

“That likely represented the final fast-break opportunity my body could muster,” commented Wembanyama, who additionally recorded 10 boards and four rejections across 22 minutes of play.

Fox contributed to 25 of San Antonio’s 35 points in the final quarter, either by scoring directly or assisting, concluding with totals of 19 points and nine assists.

“This particular win was satisfying,” Fox remarked. “It felt more gratifying than the previous day’s.”

In Thursday’s game versus the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons, Wembanyama and Fox achieved 38 and 29 points apiece, becoming the initial San Antonio teammates since 2018 to both net over 20 points within a single half, as per ESPN’s findings. Their joint performance propelled the Spurs to a definitive win, improving their record to 6-1 when facing the top-ranked teams from both conferences.

Following Friday’s triumph, a clearly fatigued Wembanyama, clad in a hooded gray top, described the culmination of the squad’s recent consecutive games as “the most exceptional 30 hours of basketball” he had ever experienced.

“What I most appreciated was confronting distinct challenges across these past two contests, and successfully rising to meet each one,” he stated.

Opposing center Brook Lopez, who played college ball with Johnson at Stanford, intensified the challenge for San Antonio. He notched a game-leading 17 points on 7-of-11 attempts in the initial half, resulting in the Spurs’ most significant halftime deficit of the season, a 20-point gap.

As the third quarter reached the 9:23 mark, the Clippers had expanded their advantage to 75-50.

“A tough contest yesterday [versus Detroit], the subsequent evening of consecutive games, with players feeling the impact,” Johnson noted. “The determined reaction and the resolve exhibited by the players to unite and overcome the mental, physical, and emotional weariness was truly praiseworthy.”

Past Spurs player Kawhi Leonard, met with jeers each time he possessed the ball, posted a game-best 30 points along with nine boards, three helpers, and two pilfers.

New Spurs talent Carter Bryant received accolades post-match from Leonard, Johnson, and Wembanyama. Bryant, aged 20, took on the task of guarding Leonard during the final moments. His dad, D’Cean Bryant, had served as an assistant coach for Leonard during his high school years at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California.

“I’d often be on the opposite side of the court, imitating Kawhi’s actions when my father was training him,” Bryant recounted. “I was between 8 and 10 years old, observing Kawhi’s journey to San Diego State. He approached me following the game. He commented, ‘Buddy, you used to be darting all over the court. I’m genuinely proud of your progress. Maintain your effort. Continue believing in the journey.'”

San Antonio managed to outscore the Clippers 66-37 throughout the last 21 minutes and 20 seconds of the latter half. The fourth period saw seven instances where the lead swapped hands. With 52.3 seconds remaining, Derrick Jones Jr. completed a three-point conversion, giving the Clippers a 112-111 edge, prior to Fox and Wembanyama combining for the crucial dunk.

Wembanyama registered his sixteenth game achieving four 3-point baskets and four blocks, a record in NBA annals, based on ESPN’s data. The Spurs intend to rest on Saturday prior to continuing their home games on Sunday with a contest against the robust Houston Rockets.

While concluding his post-match press conference, Wembanyama inquired about the current time, beginning to estimate his potential sleep duration before the subsequent fixture.

“I anticipate two restful nights,” Wembanyama mentioned. “Fortunately, I haven’t developed any particularly painful spots on my body. Consequently, there’s no singular area requiring special attention. It’s merely general system fatigue, which is ideal. It indicates I’m in good health. Two proper nights of rest, recuperation, a massage, anything along those lines, cold therapy, hot and cold treatments – all these methods. I bounce back quite rapidly. Therefore, I have no concerns about what lies ahead in forty-eight hours.”