San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama expressed his happiness at the end of their 129-115 home win over the Los Angeles Lakers at the Frost Bank Center on Friday night, which ended their 18-game losing streak in the league.
The 19-year-old joyfully grabbed teammate Devin Vassell, who had a career-high 36-point performance on the night, before proceeding to celebrate with the home fans.
BIG W in front of the home crowd ????@FrostBank | #ad pic.twitter.com/fJvBX15EIj
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 16, 2023
Wembanyama finished with 13 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks for his seventh straight double-double display, tying former Lakers center Dwight Howard for the most consecutive double-doubles by a teenager in NBA history.
“You know, it’s been a minute. So, yeah, it does feel good,” the 2023 No. 1 Draft pick said about the Spurs ending their 18-game skid.
“Kind of felt like a playoff game to me. But of course, we have to feel good about it.
“We love that feeling. We want to repeat it, so yeah, we’re going to keep working our ass off,” he added.
Along with his career-high points, Vassell finished with six rebounds and five 3s. Keldon Johnson had 17 points and dished out six assists, while Zach Collins (16 points) and Cedi Osman (15 points) combined for 31 points off the bench.
Wembanyama, who suited up in his first matchup against former No. 1 pick and four-time NBA champion LeBron James, added that he was more concerned about helping his team win and that he didn’t have any special feelings while on the court with the league’s all-time leading scorer.
“I mean, I would have thought I would feel some type of way, but honestly, on the court, I was just trying to win or trying to try to defend and make the right play.”
“So no, no, I didn’t have no feelings on the court,” he concluded.
James led the shorthanded Lakers with 23 points, 14 assists, and 7 rebounds as he returned to action after missing the first of their double-header on Wednesday with a bruised left calf.
Anthony Davis was out of Friday’s game with a hip injury, along with regular starters D’Angelo Russell (migraine) and Cam Reddish (right knee soreness).
Austin Reaves finished the game with 22 points, 7 rebounds, and four 3s; Rui Hachimura and Chris Wood supplied 20 points and 17 points, respectively, off the bench.
The Spurs will look to build on their win against the inaugural NBA Cup winners when they host the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, while the Lakers will have to wait till Monday for a chance at bouncing back when they welcome the New York Knicks to Los Angeles.
