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The Game 1 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves didn’t sit well with Victor Wembanyama. And not just because of the obvious. In falling behind in the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA playoffs, the San Antonio Spurs’ best players performed poorly offensively.
ClutchPoints asked Wemby if anger or frustration factored into a bounce back that included 19 points and 15 rebounds in shooting 7-for-15 from the field.
“There always is. In the playoffs, magnify that,” the MVP finalist told CP.
After scoring 11 on 5/17 from the field, including 0/8 from three-point range, Wemby and De’Aaron Fox both rebounded in the 133-95 rout of the T’Wolves. In Game 2, Fox put up an effective 16 points, hitting both his three-point attempts on 5-for-10 shooting in less than 26 minutes. Wembanyama was as short and concise in detailing the efforts of the Spurs two leading scorers as he was in talking about his emotions to ClutchPoints.
“Just trying to set the tone.”
Victor Wembanyama talks resolve following blowout of Timberwolves
Only two other NBA playoff victories in the Spurs storied history have come by larger margins than the 38-point whipping Wemby and company gave Minnesota in Game 2. Still, it was the kind of effort that didn’t surprise the two-time NBA All-Star.
“I’m just seeing it like it is, you know? I know this team is capable of doing all of this. To be honest, I’m expecting this kind of end; response from myself, from my teammates.
So, I’m not surprised by any means and I just want to keep working so we approach more games like we did tonight,” Wembanyama continued.
Though the Spurs had already lost this postseason, that one came with a specific factor. They dropped Game 2 to the Portland Trail Blazers after Wemby left with a concussion in the second quarter. Game 1 vs. the Timberwolves took on a different feel.
“As a team, we talk a lot,” Wembanyama added. “And whether it’s for keeping everything tight or motivating – extra motivation to each other – it’s always a bunch of dynamics going on. We’re always trying to keep the positivity.”
Unlike the young Spurs, who feature only two rotational players who’d won a playoff series before this year, this T’Wolves core is vying for a third straight trip to the conference finals. While they’re used to playoff adjustments, the 22-year-old Wembanyama, 21-year-old Stephon Castle and 20-year-old Dylan Harper are learning on the fly.
“Of course, we’re going to keep doubling up on what worked, and a few things that didn’t, we’re going to erase them. But, it’s an experienced team,” Wemby concluded about his opponents.
Castle led all scorers with 21 in the Game 2 blowout. Harper added 11 off the bench after pacing San Antonio with 18 in Game 1 vs. Minnesota.
“What’s most impressive for me is seeing him both during games and at practice,” Wemby said of Harper. “He does some crazy stuff at practice too; the way he controls his body, his body awareness whether it’s on drives or on jumps or relocation in the air. And you can see that in a variety of actions offensively, but also on rebounds and on steals. It’s quite impressive. I don’t think it’s something you can increase. At this level, it’s pure talent.”
A lot of love from Wembanyama. It’s the exact opposite emotion the generational star felt overall heading into Game 2.
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