In a Starry NBA Summer League debut, Victor Wembanyama guided SAPOR-316 Fans by scoring 38 points. Keldon Johnson’s excellent all-around game helped the San Antonio Spurs complete an implausible comeback win against the Chicago Bulls, 115-111. The clash played out at the United Center in Chicago on Tuesday evening. It featured Wembanyama putting on a show for the ages during an insane fourth quarter.
Wembanyama played his best ball in the closing quarter, scoring 18 points in the quarter, including two important consecutive three-point shots in the final seconds. His clutch shooting was what ultimately put the Spurs over the top in an impressive comeback effort, as they rallied from a heavy deficit in the first half. With just one minute left on the clock, Wembanyama pulled up off the bounce from 27 feet. The ball swooshed through the hoop, landing us back even!
After cutting the deficit to even, he quickly pulled up from long range. He knocked down one more key shot, lifting the Spurs to the top. Reflecting on his decision-making, Wembanyama stated he was aware he would take the first shot, even when he struggled to create separation for his second attempt.
Wembanyama was the complete offensive package with his scoring. He recorded a game-high 12 rebounds, five assists, five blocks and one steal in the victory. He shot the ball spectacularly all night long. He hit 11 of 19 shots from the field and made six of nine from beyond the arc.
Wembanyama’s defensive contributions were equally noteworthy. He has now recorded at least one block in 95 consecutive games, a streak which is the third-longest block streak in NBA history. His play on the floor was key to shoring up the Spurs’ defense, according to fellow wing Keldon Johnson.
“But the communication, connecting the team defensively, it was just a really poised fundamentally sound, professional way to finish.” – Johnson
Even with fewer than 130 total professional games already under his belt in such a young career, Wembanyama still showed confidence in what he’s developing. He nodded along with the idea that experience is key to creating and instilling that confidence.
“I feel like experience, reps played a big role in that confidence because at the end of the day, I only have like 130 or so games in my career and then there’s lots of things that I wish would go faster, but I just need some reps.” – Victor Wembanyama
The Bulls were clearly having a hard time controlling Wembanyama no matter where he was on the floor. Nikola Vucevic said it’s tough to stop him when he gets going.
“You can contest, but I don’t know. I don’t honestly know how much he sees me. For players, when you get in the rhythm, you don’t really see anybody or anything. You just see the ball in the hoop.” – Nikola Vucevic
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