LAS VEGAS — San Antonio big man Victor Wembanyama pondered a burning question after helping his team knock off defending champion Oklahoma City 111-109 on Saturday night to advance to Tuesday’s Emirates NBA Cup final.
Playing in his first game in nearly a month, Wembanyama came off the bench for the first time in his career and entered the game at the start of the second quarter.
“Can you win the MVP and the Sixth Man [of the Year award] in the same year?” he asked, smiling.
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Wembanyama scored 22 points in 21 minutes of action to help the Spurs hand the favored Thunder just their second loss of the season. San Antonio overcame an early 16-point deficit as Wembanyama logged his eighth game this season with 20-plus points and two-plus blocks.
Devin Vassell had 23 points, and Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox each had 22 for the Spurs, marking the first time since last March that the team finished with four scorers with 20-plus points, according to ESPN Research.
“We did it together as a team,” Vassell said. “It wasn’t just one person. We started off 0-for-10 from the 3-point line, but we settled in, and we started getting some stops. And we hang our hat on the defensive end. I think we showed that we can guard.”
As San Antonio works to end a six-year postseason drought, the victory over the Thunder could prove to be a key inflection point with the Spurs seizing a meaningful win in a high-stakes matchup played in unfamiliar surroundings. The experience could prove beneficial for San Antonio down the line if it advances to the postseason, especially now that its entire roster is fully healthy.
“It’s our first time playing [with] everybody [healthy],” Wembanyama said. “We were already a solid team already more than 20 games ago. It’s just experience. We’re just figuring it out. And the difference with us and [Oklahoma City] is we haven’t had this many reps recognizing what it takes to win. And this is our next step.
“This OKC team, they’re not just first in the league. They’re way ahead of everybody. And when you watch them, no matter who, whether it’s the 12th man or the starting five, whether they’re playing against the 15th seed or any kind of game, they’re playing the same way. They’re enjoying the little things that make them win, and this is the next step we have to pass.”
Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.” blared in the postgame locker room on Saturday from Keldon Johnson’s portable speaker. But on the previous afternoon coach Mitch Johnson scanned a practice court 150 feet behind T-Mobile Arena, where the Spurs had just finished a full workout, before leading them into the main building through the loading docks for a light session meant mostly for photo ops.
As ecstatic as San Antonio seemed about Saturday’s win, it probably meant less than the sight Johnson and the staff soaked in on a sunny 72-degree Friday in Las Vegas. Wembanyama had been sidelined for the previous 12 games, but his return to the practice court that day marked the first time all season that the San Antonio Spurs were whole again.
“It’s exciting,” Johnson said. “There are a lot of conversations and ideas stemming back to the summer of how we want to play, different combinations, ways to try to take advantage of different guy’s strengths, and combinations on the floor. We’ve had to be patient with some of that. So, we’re trying to understand that it’s just getting started now, but we’re also embracing that. It’s probably the most fun for the guys just to see their excitement.”
The win over the Thunder also marked the first time this season Wembanyama was able to compete in the same game alongside Fox, Castle and No.2 pick Dylan Harper. In a sense, the matchup against the Thunder represented a new beginning for the Spurs.
San Antonio started the second half against the Thunder on a 10-0 run jumpstarted by a Castle 25-footer.
Then, early in the final frame, Wembanyama dazzled fans inside T-Mobile Center while going head-to-head with rival Chet Holmgren. The Thunder big man attempted a mid-range shot that Wembanyama swatted back in his face. On the other end, Wembanyama drained a 12-footer over Holmgren.
“It felt good,” Castle said. “This was our first game having everybody. And I feel like we’ve been good in close games, crunch-time games, and having big fella back was definitely a plus. I think it was a big part of why we won the game, especially how he played in the second half.”
Wembanyama poured in 17 of his 22 points in the second half, including a free throw with 6.1 seconds left that gave the Spurs a 109-106 edge.
Wembanyama initially suffered his strained left calf in San Antonio’s second NBA Cup game, and the organization took a conservative approach to bring him back.
Wembanyama’s teammates responded by rolling to a record of 9-3 in his absence.
“Almost every night they have proven to me that I have nothing to worry about,” Wembanyama said. “The brand of basketball we are playing, that they have been playing, just makes me proud because it’s getting closer to the ideal basketball in my opinion. It’s just beautiful to see.”
