Victor Wembanyama starred in the scare of the night on the last day of the year in the NBA after injuring his left knee when he tried to grab a rebound under the hoop and his leg bent unnaturally, forcing him to leave the court limping towards the locker room with 10:32 remaining in the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the New York Knicks (134-132)
“They had to hold me back from playing again. It was just a hyperextension, so it should be minimal. Tomorrow we have to do everything we can to make sure everything is OK,” explained the Frenchman, who put in another superb performance with 31 points (8/10 t2, 2/2 t3 and 9/10 tl), 13 rebounds and one block in 24 minutes.
KO at a critical moment
His injury occurred when the Spurs were trailing 92-106 and while fighting for the rebound with Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordan Clarkson. After the play, the center immediately grabbed his left knee and was helped to his feet by teammate Stephon Castle. He walked off under his own power to the locker room, apparently telling Castle “I’m fine” and conveying a similar message to the crowd at San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center.
Wembanyama returned to the bench under his own power with 1:22 left in the game dressed in team sportswear, although he did not play again. That image left positive feelings in the coaching staff. “I haven’t been able to speak to the medical staff yet, but I think I saw the same thing as everyone else,” said coach Mitch Johnson. “Obviously, he finished the game on the bench with his teammates, that made me feel good.”
The center, in his third NBA season, had already missed 12 games earlier in the season with a left calf strain and returned in mid-December. He came into the game against the Knicks averaging 24 points, 11.7 rebounds and three blocks, numbers that reflect his impact and the importance of his fitness to the Spurs’ aspirations.
Champagnie’s three-point recital (11/17)
Wembanyama’s injury overshadowed the impressive shooting display of his teammate Julian Champagnie, who scored 36 points with 11/17 three-pointers, a personal and franchise record from that distance. This allowed his team to come back from 19 points down in the second quarter and another 11 in the last, without Wembanyama
Alongside them, De’Aaron Fox (26+1+7) and substitute Keldon Johnson shone with 19 points, four of them key in the final seconds. He hit two free throws with 13.4 left (132-126) and two more with 7.3 left (134-129) before Jalen Brunson cut the deficit with a buzzer-beating three-pointer.
The work of the Knicks point guard (29+4+8), supported by Karl-Anthony Towns (20+7+4), Jordan Clarke (20) and Miles McBride (21+3+2) was not enough for New York, second in the Eastern Conference (23-10), who lose ground with the leaders Pistons (25-8). While the Spurs, second in the West (24-9), follow in the wake of the Thunder (29-5).
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