Victor Wembanyama shows rust early, Spurs rally in return

SAN ANTONIO — Fresh off a three-game layoff, Spurs star Victor Wembanyama showed rust early, only to catch a groove late in pushing San Antonio to its second-biggest comeback win of the season, a 104-94 triumph over Golden State.

“I thought he was a grown man in the fourth quarter,” Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson said of Wembanyama.

Three days after rallying from 20 down to defeat Utah, the Spurs came back from a 17-point deficit Saturday to shock the Warriors, who were playing the second night of a back-to-back set. San Antonio’s performance marked the first time since 2017 that it overcame 15-plus-point deficits in consecutive contests.

“I found my rhythm physically,” Wembanyama said. “It was a little hard to come back in terms of conditioning in the first half. There’s a shift I try to reverse as needed. Strong catches, quick movements, not holding the ball but also taking my time, taking shots with confidence , good feet and good preparation for the shot.”

Wembanyama scored 25 points with 7 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 blocks.

One of those blocks started a fourth-quarter stretch in which Wembanyama scored seven straight points — with a steal sandwiched in between — as San Antonio cut a six-point deficit to one in a span of one minute, 40 seconds. The Spurs trailed by 17 points with 1:55 left in the third quarter before going on a 40-13 run to end the contest.

Golden State suffered its biggest blown lead of the season.

“It was a good learning lesson about catching and keeping momentum when you’ve done enough to separate yourself,” Warriors guard Stephen Curry said.

Wembanyama tallied nearly half of his total scoring output (12 points) in the fourth quarter and added five assists and two blocks to lead a Spurs team that finished the game outscoring the Warriors 13-2 in fast break points.

“He definitely embraces moments,” Johnson said. “I thought his fundamentals, especially late tonight, were elite. When he does that, it’s going to be scary to adjust to.”

Golden State now knows for itself. Wembanyama started the contest hitting 3 of 9 shots for nine points with two turnovers. The 20-year-old made 3-pointers on his first five attempts of the night and didn’t make a 2-point field goal until 2:19 remained in the first quarter.

“Vic’s confidence never wavers and it’s so cool to see,” veteran point guard Chris Paul said. “He’s confident. He knows the next one is coming in. Vic was huge, he was just his first game back. The defense, the shots. The plays he made tonight were all game-winning plays. He’s an alien. He’s just so unique.”

By halftime, Wembanyama had already made six 3-pointers with just two makes. He took fewer shots in the third quarter, connecting on 2 of 3 attempts.

“Stop shooting?” Wembanyama asked jokingly. “Never.”

The Frenchman’s fearless approach paid dividends in a fourth quarter in which San Antonio trailed by 10 points. Wembanyama has tallied eight 20-point outings this season in 14 appearances.

Saturday night marked Wembanyama’s first live action since Nov. 15, when he suffered a bruised right knee that sidelined him for three contests. The Spurs managed back-to-back wins over Oklahoma City and Utah after falling to Dallas on Nov. 16 in Wembanyama’s first game of the streak. Wembanyama watched from the bench in street clothes Thursday as San Antonio overcame an 18-point deficit to defeat the Jazz behind a 25-point, 10-rebound outing from veteran Harrison Barnes.

Against the Warriors, Wembanyama produced his 13th consecutive game with multiple blocks, the longest streak of any player this season.

“He was great, blocking shots, hindering others, just being a presence in the paint,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said of Wembanyama. “It was an impressive performance by him and by the whole team, defensively.”