On Friday, February 23, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated San Antonio 123-118 to get back on the winning track, but not before Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama put on a display.
The remarkable “5×5” statistics performance that Wembanyama produced against the Lakers pleased Lakers coach Darvin Ham.
“With regard to Wemby (Wembanyama),” Ham stated to reporters, “I recently said to Pop (Popovich) following the match, ‘What a cutie! His extraordinary talent and versatility are what most impress me about him, but his competitive spirit is maybe his most admirable quality—something that neither coaching nor teaching can impart.
He consistently makes winning plays and is a competitive young man. You can see how he interacts with his colleagues. Whether it’s for the benefit of the people in his company or for himself, he’s striving to make the correct move. Additionally, defensively: chasing down, switching, blocking, and pulling down hard rebounds. However, let’s talk about those two intangibles once more: the capacity to maintain a competitive edge while still producing winning plays.
In Wembanyama’s first visit to the Lakers’ home court, the 20-year-old ended with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. The French rookie prodigy made NBA history as the youngest player to collect at least five points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals in a single game. He finished with a double-double, five blocked shots, and five thefts.
Wembanyama is one of the few players that has at least five steals and five blocks in a row, along with Michael Jordan.
Similar to Ham, Lakers player LeBron James was astounded by Wembanyama’s skills in this early phase of his career.
After the game, James told reporters, “He doesn’t have a ceiling; he can do whatever he wants to do with his career.” From the outside looking in, it appears that he puts in the effort and enjoys the game. Of course, I don’t live with him every day. However, I’ve mentioned how unique he was for a long time, and it’s really that easy.
Following two games missed due to left ankle problems, Adams made his way back into the starting lineup for the Lakers. With a game-high 30 points to lead the Lakers, 39-year-old James—19 years older than Wembanyama—showed he’s still the best one. After making his historic 20th NBA All-Star appearance, James added nine assists and seven rebounds in his first game back.
The seven-foot-four Wembanyama may have had a record game, but the Lakers were unstoppable. They gained ground early in the fourth quarter and stopped the Spurs’ desperate comeback attempt.
After defeating the Charlotte Hornets 97-84 on Friday, the Golden State Warriors (29-26), who are now leading the Western Conference at half a game, are now only one game behind the Lakers (31-27) for the ninth slot.
Before the Lakers’ road loss to the Warriors on Thursday, February 22, their first game following the All-Star break, Anthony Davis lost his voice. Despite this, he scored 28 points and pulled down 13 rebounds.
In the second of a back-to-back set, Davis did not play during the fourth quarter.
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