The San Antonio Spurs moved on to the NBA Cup final with a 111-109 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, and head coach Mitch Johnson’s bold decision to sit Victor Wembanyama for the entire first quarter ultimately paid dividends.
“On the minutes restriction, Mitch Johnson said he knew he had 20 Wemby minutes available, and decided to use them in the equivalent of a three-quarter game, starting in the second quarter. Worked out pretty well,” Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News posted on Bluesky.
The game marked Wembanyama’s first time playing since suffering a calf strain earlier this season. The 21-year-old made an immediate impact and ended the night with 22 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, and two assists across 21 minutes.
The Spurs trailed 31-20 at the end of the first quarter, but outscored the Thunder in each of the three remaining frames. Despite being on a minutes restriction, Wembanyama’s presence was evident.
“He’s been itching to play,” Spurs point guard De’Aaron Fox told Josh Robbins and Law Murray of The Athletic. “Then coming back to a game like this, in a game of this magnitude, against a team like that, I think that’s probably the toughest first game that you can have of anyone in this league.
“But he rose to the occasion, and I don’t think anybody in the locker room or probably out here … thought that he wouldn’t. He was out there, he did what he does. He affected the game from the moment that he stepped on the floor, both offensively and defensively, and we felt that, and that’s ultimately the reason that we came out on top tonight.”
The Spurs are now 18-7 on the season. They will face the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup final on Tuesday.
