Victor Wembanyama sparkled in his return from a 12-game absence with 22 points and nine rebounds, leading the San Antonio Spurs to a victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night in Las Vegas and securing their spot in the NBA Cup final.
The Thunder successfully carried a franchise-record 16-game running streak into this game; their only previous defeat this season was at Portland on November 5.
The Thunder’s 24-2 start is the second-most remarkable start in NBA history, surpassed only by Golden State Warriors’ 25-1 record in the 2015-16 season.
Wembanyama, who received intriguing M-V-P shouts from the pro-Spurs crowd, had a plus-21 rating in 21 minutes.
His teammate Devin Vassell scored 23 points, and De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle each scored 22.
According to theScore, Wembanyana was sidelined due to a pulled calf muscle, yet the Spurs went 9-3 in his absence.
He was on a minutes restriction against the Thunder, but that didn't diminish his prominent impact on the game.
Wembanyama entered the game averaging 26.2 points and 12.9 rebounds, instantly giving the Spurs an on-court.
San Antonio successfully moved into the final, delivering a strong performance by earning a 13-point run.
In addition, the Spurs used a 10-point run in the third quarter and set the stage by successfully taking a 62-56 lead.
