AP Photo/Eric Gay
All eyes were on 2023 No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama as he made his NBA debut for the San Antonio Spurs in Wednesday night’s season opener against the Dallas Mavericks. After a slow start, the 19-year-old had a strong fourth-quarter performance that excited the home crowd at Frost Bank Center.
Wembanyama scored nine of his 15 points in the final period, but the Spurs suffered a 126-119 loss to their in-state rivals. It was an impressive finish for the youngster after he dealt with early foul trouble.
Wembanyama was forced to spend a ton of time on the bench after being called for five fouls, which limited him to just 23 minutes. He also recorded a team-high five turnovers to go with five rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block.
While the pace of the NBA appeared to be something Wembanyama would struggle to adjust to, he eventually found a groove that fueled confidence in his chances to become the star he was projected to be.
Fans on social media were impressed by how Wembanyama bounced back in the fourth quarter:
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
Spurs fans watching Wemby in the 4Q pic.twitter.com/qo7XUmQNmG
Noah Magaro-George @N_Magaro
Victor Wembanyama has come alive in the fourth quarter despite being on the brink of fouling out in his debut game.
Slammed home an alley-oop, nailed a pull-up three, sealed inside for an and-one dunk, and hit a midrange jumper.
NBA @NBA
Wemby has taken over ‼️
He’s got 9 PTS in Q4 🔥
📺: Spurs-Mavs | Live on ESPN | #KiaTipOff23 pic.twitter.com/SRzCFdEhUt
𝙻̷𝚞̷𝚜̷ 📯 @Theylovelus
Victor Wembanyama IS COOKING THE MAVS RN pic.twitter.com/snO9brEPeK
A ✩ @adryanashton
yeah Wemby heard the slander he trynna clutch up this win
PrizePicks @PrizePicks
Wemby 5 fouls deep coming back for the members pic.twitter.com/Wjp7UtXoQD
𝐔𝐍𝐂 @notwashedcnu
Wemby efficient 15 points wit good defense. What’s that Denzel saying, “I’m leaving here with something”?
Josh AbboŦŦ @joshabbottband
Luka is still the truth
Wemby is must-see tv
Mavs/Spurs, outstanding 1st game of the season!
The Wave @DjMoxswag
Wemby u got a fan in me
Damien Bartonek @tvBartonek
Looking like KD, man. That’s the KD mid-range jimmy… butter.
This Wembanyama kid is nasty. 15/5/2/2/1 on 6-9 in 23 minutes. Gimme that. https://t.co/ymhVp8IWkc
StatMuse @statmuse
Wemby NBA debut:
15 PTS
5 REB
2 STL
6-9 FG
Scored 9 of his 15 points in the final 7 minutes. pic.twitter.com/vGKBgQHF0m
While Wembanyama had a respectable finish to Wednesday’s game, he probably would’ve preferred that it came in a victory. The Mavericks were able to pull away down the stretch thanks to some late brilliance from Luka Dončić, who recorded 33 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.
Wembanyama and the Spurs will look to bounce back on Friday against the Houston Rockets.
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