Not much has gone right for the San Antonio Spurs this season other than Victor Wembanyama taking the court. The Spurs young star has been nothing short of spectacular through the early portion of the season, as he leads all rookies in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots, and made shots. After defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 118-105 on Thursday night, the first regular-season meeting between Wemby and Scoot Henderson, the Spurs are staying in Portland for yet another game on Friday. Only this time, Wembamyama's availability has changed with this being the second game in as many nights for San Antonio. This has left everyone asking: Is Victor Wembanyama playing tonight vs. the Blazers?
Victor Wembanyama injury status vs. Blazers
The Spurs snapped their five-game losing streak on Thursday night and picked up their fifth win of the season over the Blazers. Now, they will need to try and win back-to-back games for the second time this season without Wembanyama.
On Friday afternoon, Wemby was ruled out for “rest,” but the Spurs are being cautious with his right ankle injury, per ESPN's Andrew Lopez. Wembanyama did play 24 minutes on Thursday night, recording 30 points, six rebounds, six assists, and seven blocks.
Not only did Wembanyama join Spurs legend David Robinson as the second rookie in NBA history to record 30 points, five rebounds, five assists, and seven blocks in a game, but he became the first player to ever have 30 points and seven blocks in under 30 minutes. Wembanyama has been absolutely sensational for the Spurs this season, giving their fans something to cheer about during some dark rebuilding times.
Friday will mark the fourth game Wemby has missed this season and his third absence over the team's last six games. In order to qualify for the Rookie of the Year award, which the Spurs rookie is in contention for, he will need to play in at least 65 games. This means Wembanyama is only allowed to miss 13 more games this season.
The Spurs may be short-handed when they take on the Blazers Friday night, as Keldon Johnson has also popped up on the team's injury report with lower back soreness.
With Wembanyama on the bench, Zach Collins will slide back into the Spurs' starting lineup after recording 11 points and seven rebounds on Thursday. Sandro Mamukelashvili will also likely see his minutes increase as a result of the rookie getting the night off.
So, when it comes to the question of if Victor Wembanyama is playing tonight vs. the Blazers, the Spurs have provided everyone with the answer. Wembanyama will not play on Friday.
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