February 13, (THEWILL) – In a memorable performance, rookie Victor Wembanyama led the San Antonio Spurs to a decisive 122-99 victory over the Toronto Raptors, on Monday night. Wembanyama put up an extremely impressive stat line with 27 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocks in just 29 minutes of play.
The 7-foot-4 phenom was an absolute force on both ends of the court. Defensively, he locked down Raptors big men Jakob Poeltl and Kelly Olynyk while also containing All-Star forward Scottie Barnes. This marked Wembanyama’s second triple-double of the season and the first with blocks. He set the tone early with a block on the first possession and continued his defensive dominance all night.
“He did a little bit of everything. He had a great feel for the game and it showed in a variety of ways, whether it’s passing or making decisions, blocking shots, it doesn’t matter,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich about his rookie standout performance.
With his output, Wembanyama etched his name in the record books. His stat line made him the first player to record a 20-point triple-double with blocks since Anthony Davis in 2018. He joins David Robinson and Ralph Sampson as the only rookies to accomplish that feat.
On the season, the 19-year-old Wembanyama is now averaging 20.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.2 blocks through 48 games. As Spurs’ Devin Vassell noted, “I guess it’s not on the scouting report that he’s blocking shots. I guess they’ll learn one of these days.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
