The Los Angeles Clippers had no problem shutting down Victor Wembanyama.
The Clippers easily outlasted the San Antonio Spurs to claim a 123-83 victory at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday night. They also held Wembanyama to just 11 points in the loss, ruining the No. 1 draft pick’s first road game in the NBA.
The Clippers took full control of the game from the start. They opened the game with a 20-7 run and held Wembanyama to just two points in the first quarter. They held a 19-point lead at halftime after limiting the Spurs to just 20 points as a team in the second quarter.
The Clippers had no problem shutting down Victor Wembanyama on Sunday night. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
However, it was the third quarter when the Clippers left the game wide open. They opened the second half with an 18-6 score that suddenly gave them a 30-point lead. At this point, the Spurs were way too far gone. The Clippers cruised to a 40-point victory without any problems.
Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers in the win with 21 points and four assists. Paul George and Russell Westbrook added 19 points each, and Ivica Zubac finished the game with 16 points and eight rebounds. The Clippers shot just under 52 percent as a team and outscored the Spurs by 11 percent. They only trailed by about three minutes total in the entire game.
Wembanyama was limited in his debut on Wednesday evening. He played in just 23 minutes of the Spurs’ loss to the Dallas Mavericks, but scored nine of his 15 points of the night in the fourth quarter while keeping San Antonio close. Wembanyama added five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in his debut, shooting 6 of 9 from the field.
(Illustration by Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports)
Wembanyama then dropped 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while leading the Spurs to an overtime win over the Houston Rockets on Friday night. He went 0-for-6 from behind, but scored the game-winning basket and forced overtime.
Apart from a few moments, Wembanyama couldn’t do much on Sunday evening. He finished the game with 11 points, five rebounds and two assists. Wembanyama shot 4 of 10 from the field and also had five turnovers. All four of his buckets came from inside the paint, just a few feet from the edge. At one point, the Clippers forward and fellow Frenchman Nicolas Batum blocked Wembanyama at the rim to prevent a dunk.
Devin Vassell led the Spurs with 14 points. Cedi Osman added 12 points off the bench. They were the only Spurs players to score in double figures.
Wembanyama and the Spurs will be back in action on Tuesday night in the first of two games against the Suns in Phoenix.