Both Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson played well in the first-ever NBA meeting for the two highly touted prospects. But there was a clear-cut winner in the San Antonio Spurs' 118-105 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
While Henderson scored 25 in 36 minutes as a starter in place of an ill Anfernee Simons, Wemby put up game-highs with 30 points and 7 blocks and also grabbed 6 rebounds while dishing out 6 assists — all in just 24 minutes — to lead the San Antonio Spurs to just their fifth win through 30 games.
Though Scoot was taken third overall this past June, the Spurs win at the Trail Blazers marked a match-up of the two young men who dominated draft talk for the better part of a year.
Wembanyama makes more history
With his performance Thursday night, the 19-year-old became the first teenager in league history to put up at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 blocks in the same game. He's also the first player, period, to put up those numbers in less than 25 minutes of action since 1985 when Julius Erving did it.
“Other than the excitement or match-ups, playing against crazy, good, talented people every night — I've got that responsibility to be here for the team,” the top overall pick of this past summer said.
Victor Wembanyama is two games removed from a record eight consecutive double-doubles by a teen. Two weeks ago in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, which marked the last time Wemby scored 30 points, his 13 rebounds and 6 blocks made him the first NBA rookie since fellow Spurs generational star, Tim Duncan in 1998 to put up 30+, 5+ and 5+.
Two games before that, the French phenom found himself in Shaquille O'Neal territory with a 20/20 game — 21 rebounds to go with the 20 points in a defeat to the Chicago Bulls made him the first rookie to record more than 20 in each category on the same night since Shaq in 1994.
Getting the better of Scoot
Victor Wembanyama outperformed Scoot Henderson in every statistical category — including 3-point percentage (2/4 vs. 3/7) — except for steals where Henderson got one to Wemby's none. Wembanyama also blocked three of the Blazers guard's shots.
“It's always challenging and important to me to compete against great players, especially when they're my age,” Wembanyama admitted.
It's actually the second time Wemby has bested his hyped rookie counterpart in their second overall meeting. They famously played against each other two Octobers ago in Las Vegas, Nevada. In leading his Metropolitans 92 to victory over the G-League Ignite, the French star poured in 37 points and blocked 5 shots compared to Henderson's 28 points and 9 assists.
“It was special indeed. In a whole new environment — that was my first game on US soil but also with NBA rules, NBA court, NBA balls so it was pretty weird at first. It was like playing another sport,” Wembanyama recalled, “I think I started adapting coming back into the second half, I remember, and then everything was better for our team.”
It's expected that Scoot Henderson is going to have to wait about a month to try and even the score, figuratively speaking. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said before the trip that his star rookie would not play in both games of this back-to-back in Portland that ends on Friday night. The Spurs are set to host the Blazers in San Antonio on January 26.
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