There was much anticipation for the San Antonio Spurs' Thursday night battle against the Milwaukee Bucks. After all, this was going to be the first time that Victor Wembanyama would face Giannis Antetokounmpo on an NBA court. And Wembanyama delivered the goods. He retaliated against Antetokounmpo's 44-point night in a 125-121 heartbreaking Spurs loss with 27 points, nine rebounds, and five blocks, showcasing his clutch gene and two-way excellence for the national television crowd to see.

Wembanayama is also showing that he is becoming a big-game player, someone who shows up and produces whenever he's facing one of the league's greats. The Spurs rookie balled out during his matchup against Kevin Durant, he was a towering two-way force against LeBron James, and now, he had an extra pep in his step against Antetokounmpo. Wembanyama, who turned 20 today, even admitted that he had “a little extra juice tonight against Giannis”, as he grew up watching the Greek Freak, according to Tom Petrini of KENS5.

But at the end of the day, Victor Wembanyama had a greater motivation that fueled his epic birthday game for the Spurs. Wembanyama said that failing to win the Western Conference Rookie of the Month honor for December (an award that went to Chet Holmgren) motivated him to make a statement about his place in the league.

“Of course [it fueled me]. I'm dedicated. At the end of the day, I’m going to get what I deserve. Every game is a statement now on,” Wembanyama said in his postgame presser, per ClutchPoints Spurs beat reporter Hector Ledesma.

Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren's careers will forever be intertwined. Both are incredible two-way players who can protect the rim at an elite level and space the floor, not to mention that both of them can create off the bounce as well. The difference is that the current Spurs roster is so much worse than that of the Thunder's.

This disparity in talent between the Spurs and the Thunder has caused quite the gulf in evaluation between Wembanyama and Holmgren. But that may not be the case for long, with Wembanyama making it a point to stamp his superiority with each passing game moving forward.