On any other night, San Antonio Spurs Victor Wembanyama – as he so often is – would have been the biggest story. Then again, the San Antonio Spurs' generational prospect had never gone against Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid. The reigning NBA MVP's whopping 70 points against the Spurs on Monday are a 76ers franchise record and mark the most points in a game by any player in the league this season.
Embiid's 70 also eclipsed 33 points in 28 minutes from Wemby. In responding to a question about whether Monday's 133-123 loss was the last in which the 7-foot-4 phenom would play with playing time restriction, head coach Gregg Popovich started to say he wasn't sure.
“You know Victor wanted to go back on the court and play but he just can't with the minutes restriction. It doesn't work,” the Hall of Famer said.
“It was really tough for him because he wanted to be out there while Joel was out there the whole time but it doesn't work because Joel plays more minutes and he'd be done halfway through the third quarter. He wouldn't be able to play anymore because of the minute deal. It was fun to watch them all play.”
Wemby against the greats
In Victor Wembanyama's first game against Nikola Jokic, he went for 22 compared to the two-time league MVP's 39 points.
In his first contest against LeBron James, he scored 13 while Lebron put up 23 in a Spurs victory.
His first match-up vs. another MVP in Giannis Antetokiunmpo turned into an instant classic after the rookie sensation dazzled with 27 points in a close loss to Milwaukee Bucks, who were led by the Greek Freak's 44 points.
Monday night against Embiid proved a different story.
“He's a fantastic player. Obviously, in the running for MVP, that's for sure, but everybody already knew that so it wasn't a surprise at all. He's wonderful. He's playing such an all-around game, doing a great job,” Popovich said.
‘”Yeah, of course. And also, (I learned) about the greats, not only one of the great players but also about ourselves,” the top overall pick in last year's draft responded when asked if he took any lessons from watching one of the game's best big men put together an all-time game.
The Spurs' 35th loss of the season also marked the fourth time since late December that Wemby recorded more points than minutes played. He's been restricted since dealing with a sore right ankle after a December 17 game vs. the New Orleans Pelicans. He missed the team's next game and another on December 23. Since then he's missed three more because he's been held out of both nights on back-t0-backs. His minutes per contest have been limited to 24/25 and have gradually increased to 28.
“Victor gets an education every game. There's stuff to learn for rookies every game. It doesn't matter what the team is or who the players are,” Popovich said.
But an opponent will again matter the next time the Spurs take the court. Wembanyama and the Silver and Black are set to face fellow Rookie of the Year candidate Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.
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