Wembanyama new look adds to statement win over Antetokounmpo
San Antonio shrug off a rare stumble, overwhelm Milwaukee at home and underline the growing gap between two franchises moving in opposite directions.
Losing to the Thunder after having beaten them three times already – the only team in the league able to boast such a pat on the back – stirred something inside the Spurs, even if, in the context of their strong season, it was little more than an anecdote. For the lighter side of the story there was Victor Wembanyama’s newly shaved head, echoing the look he sported in the summer during his visit to Asia, when he immersed himself in the wisdom of monks, and teammate Keldon Johnson, whom he pulled into the movement. A way of stepping back into the spotlight as the kind of different player everyone knows he is. And what better stage than a sun-drenched showdown with Giannis Antetokounmpo – another force of nature, and one who has even been mentioned as a possible arrival in San Antonio should a trade materialize.
Wembanyama vs Antetokounmpo
The Greek star was the lone bright spot for his team, scoring 21 points in 22 minutes in Milwaukee’s emphatic loss in San Antonio. Wembanyama, in the same amount of time on the floor, topped him by a point and added 10 rebounds. It was a matchup that crackled with intensity. Castle (19) and Fox (18), the starting backcourt, along with another young perimeter player in Harper (13) off the bench, ran circles around a Bucks team with little room for flair. The final score was 119–101. What looms on the horizon in Milwaukee, more than anything else, is the potential departure of their superstar – the same one who led them to the championship chase more than five years ago.
Antetokounmpo waits tensely for a resolution in the coming weeks. He has not formally asked out, but his dissatisfaction with the franchise’s current direction has been clear. In the meantime, he continues to front up. Still, it is four losses in their last five games, with the lone win coming against the Lakers. The train to tenth place in the Eastern Conference – and it is hardly a hard one to catch – is starting to pull away.
The Spurs are living in another dimension. They are rebounding from two heavy defeats, yes, but have climbed back to second place in the Western Conference, with the pieces fitting together in the puzzle. The decisive moment came in a third quarter the Texans dominated 40–16. From there, their opponent disconnected and began thinking about future commitments. This one was already over.
Wembanyama survived a collision with, who else, Antetokounmpo in the first quarter. There were fears of the worst because it was knee-to-knee contact – the kind that can lead to nasty injuries. It ended as nothing more than pain, and the French player, debuting a new look, laid down a marker for the rest of his minutes. Two physiques with similarities and contrasts, innate European talents colliding on the same court. Only one emerged victorious.
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40
Harrison Barnes
|
|
30
Julian Champagnie
|
|
1
Victor Wembanyama
|
|
5
Stephon Castle
|
|
4
De'Aaron Fox
|
|
18
Bismack Biyombo
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|
11
Carter Bryant
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|
2
Dylan Harper
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|
3
Keldon Johnson
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|
7
Luke Kornet
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|
0
Jordan McLaughlin
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|
8
Kelly Olynyk
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|
10
Jeremy Sochan
|
|
43
Lindy Waters III
|
| Min | Pts | TR | OR | DR | Ast | Los | Rec | Blk | S1 | S2 | S3 | RF | CF | Val | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
40
Harrison Barnes
|
16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/1 | 2/4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
30
Julian Champagnie
|
23 | 13 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4/4 | 0/1 | 3/5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
1
Victor Wembanyama
|
21 | 22 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3/3 | 2/6 | 5/6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
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5
Stephon Castle
|
26 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6/6 | 5/7 | 1/2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
4
De'Aaron Fox
|
23 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3/6 | 3/6 | 3/4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
18
Bismack Biyombo
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
11
Carter Bryant
|
20 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2/2 | 0/4 | 0/2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
2
Dylan Harper
|
25 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1/2 | 6/8 | 0/5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
3
Keldon Johnson
|
21 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4/4 | 0/0 | 1/3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
|
7
Luke Kornet
|
20 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 5/5 | 0/0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
0
Jordan McLaughlin
|
7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
8
Kelly Olynyk
|
10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 2/2 | 0/1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
10
Jeremy Sochan
|
10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 1/1 | 0/2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
43
Lindy Waters III
|
14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
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34
Giannis Antetokounmpo
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20
AJ Green
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|
3
Myles Turner
|
|
7
Kevin Porter Jr.
|
|
13
Ryan Rollins
|
|
43
Thanasis Antetokounmpo
|
|
50
Cole Anthony
|
|
17
Amir Coffey
|
|
11
Gary Harris
|
|
44
Andre Jackson Jr.
|
|
18
Kyle Kuzma
|
|
35
Pete Nance
|
|
9
Bobby Portis
|
|
0
Jericho Sims
|
|
5
Gary Trent Jr.
|
| Min | Pts | TR | OR | DR | Ast | Los | Rec | Blk | S1 | S2 | S3 | RF | CF | Val | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
34
Giannis Antetokounmpo
|
22 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6/9 | 6/11 | 1/1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
20
AJ Green
|
15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/1 | 2/3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
|
3
Myles Turner
|
22 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 1/5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
7
Kevin Porter Jr.
|
23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/5 | 0/4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
13
Ryan Rollins
|
25 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1/2 | 1/3 | 1/5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
|
43
Thanasis Antetokounmpo
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
50
Cole Anthony
|
13 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 2/5 | 1/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
17
Amir Coffey
|
10 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3/4 | 2/3 | 0/3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
11
Gary Harris
|
20 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1/1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
44
Andre Jackson Jr.
|
10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4/4 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
|
18
Kyle Kuzma
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21 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1/1 | 1/4 | 5/13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
35
Pete Nance
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
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9
Bobby Portis
|
20 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 2/3 | 3/5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
0
Jericho Sims
|
10 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
5
Gary Trent Jr.
|
13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1/5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
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