Victor Wembanyama has exploded for a career-high just days after he was compared to a bench player by NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal.
Wembanyama finished with 38 points and 10 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Phoenix Suns 132-121, the team's second win over the Suns in a matter of days.
The French phenom made 15 of his 26 field goal attempts, draining three three-pointers in the process, including one late in the fourth quarter as the Suns attempted to claw back from a 27-point deficit.
READ MORE: 'Isn't fair': Schumacher brother's crushing reveal
READ MORE: 'Oh no': Tedesco answer leaves big call to NSW
READ MORE: Warner urged to 'forget it' after bitter public sledge
He also added 10 rebounds and two blocks, making him just the third teenager to record at least 35 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in a game since the NBA began tracking blocks in the 1973-74 season. The other two players on the list? LeBron James in 2004 and Kevin Durant in 2008.
Watching the No.1 pick's explosion from the bench was Suns big man Bol Bol, who was bizarrely compared to Wembanyama by O'Neal earlier in the week.
O'Neal was on TNT's post-game show when he disputed people who suggested the NBA had never seen a player with Wembanyama's skill-set at 224cm, comparing him to the 221cm Bol.
"Wembanyama is just way more consistent than Bol Bol, but Bol Bol is the first seven-footer to have that," he said.
"Bol Bol is the first 7'4" guy we've seen come out with that handle and could shoot the three.
"Y'all acting like you've never seen a guy like that before. Bol Bol is the first guy, that's all I'm saying."
The only problem with the comparison? Bol has logged just 14.8 minutes per game in his five seasons in the NBA, posting lowly averages of 6.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest.
The 23-year-old big man did not log a single minute against the Spurs on Friday and has played just four minutes all season, making O'Neal's comparison even more bizarre.
The Suns erased a 27-point deficit, tying the game at 116 with 4:21 left on Keita Bates-Diop's three-pointer, but the Spurs responded by scoring the next 12 points, including 10 from the precocious Wembanyama.
https://twitter.com/TheTraeYoung/status/1720295757356441791https://twitter.com/Sam_Vecenie/status/1720299737885397138https://twitter.com/jackfrank_jjf/status/1720287972812034474https://twitter.com/getnickwright/status/1720296717197754639
In just his fifth NBA game, Wembanyama produced a handful of highlight plays, including flying down the lane for a dunk in the second quarter.
But it was his poise down the stretch that might have been most impressive. The 19-year-old forward hit a three-pointer, made three free throws, dunked and hit a mid-range jumper during the decisive run.
Phoenix's Devin Booker returned from a sprained ankle and nearly had a triple-double with 31 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds. But it wasn't enough for the Suns, who had 14 turnovers. Durant had 28 points.
It was the second time in three days the Spurs beat the Suns in Phoenix. San Antonio shocked Phoenix 115-114 on Wednesday, erasing a 20-point deficit and scoring the winning basket after Keldon Johnson stole the ball from Durant in the final seconds and made a contested layup with 1.2 seconds left.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.