Victor Wembanyama had an impressive game against the New York Knicks on Wednesday, scoring 42 points and grabbing 18 rebounds, but his performance wasn’t enough for the San Antonio Spurs to secure a win.
Despite his efforts, the Spurs lost in his first-ever Christmas Day game. Now, Wembanyama and the Spurs will look to bounce back and avoid a third straight defeat when they play the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night in New York.
The Spurs are well-rested after their early game on Wednesday and hope not to waste another strong performance from their star player. Wembanyama made 16 of 31 shots, including six of 16 from three-point range in his fourth career 40-point game.
Despite his big numbers, San Antonio lost another close game after a five-point defeat to the 76ers on Monday, where Wembanyama also scored 26 points.
After the loss on Christmas Day, Wembanyama reflected, saying, “I’m thinking about the game right now, and just thinking that we were close but we lack some attributes at times.” One of the Spurs’ struggles was their performance on the boards.
They allowed 17 offensive rebounds, which was the fourth time this season they’ve given up that many. Despite shooting over 50% from the field, San Antonio still lost. Wembanyama noted, “This is how I see it, because it’s high effort to play like that but it’s also high rewards.”
In his two previous games against the Nets, Wembanyama has had solid performances. On March 17, he scored 33 points and grabbed 15 rebounds against Brooklyn, and he scored 21 points on Feb. 10 at their arena. He will now face a struggling Nets team, who have lost eight of their last 11 games.
Despite their rough patch, the Nets are coming off a strong win on Thursday, where they beat the Milwaukee Bucks 111-105. Brooklyn made a big comeback in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Bucks 35-23.
Cameron Johnson played a key role, scoring 10 of his 29 points in the final period, while Shake Milton added 14 of his 20 points in the fourth. Brooklyn shot 57.9% in that period to overcome a nine-point deficit.
Johnson, who has been playing well recently, is averaging 23.4 points over his past nine games, including a 33-point game at Toronto on Dec. 19. The Nets are also hoping to get some players back soon.
Dorian Finney-Smith, who has missed several games due to a bruised left calf, could return on Friday, and Ben Simmons may be available for the first time on both ends of a back-to-back after playing 29 minutes in Milwaukee.
