Did Wembanyama Hurt His Back?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonah Kubicek | Last updated Dec 4, 2024 12:43 PM ET

The San Antonio Spurs fell to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, 104-93. The loss ended their bid to advance in the NBA Cup to the knockout stage, and a cold 18 percent shooting night by the team from 3-point range did not help their effort at all.

Victor Wembanyama went scoreless in the first half but managed to finish with 15 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists. He went only 1-9 from behind the arc and his reluctance to get in the paint, at least in the first half, did not help the Spurs' winning cause.

In the fourth quarter, Wembanyama appeared to get hit in the back and was in pretty obvious discomfort, but he remained in the game up until the final six seconds of the game, when Mitch Johnson subbed him out, waving the white flag on a frantic final two minutes.

After the game, Johnson was asked by reporters if Wembanyama's apparent injury was anything serious, and he kept it brief with just a "no."

"He got hit on one play, but he finished the game and we took him out then for that last play, I haven't heard anything," he explained.

The Spurs have already seen Tre Jones, Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, and Wembanyama miss substantial time this season with various injuries. Now 11-10 and in tenth place in the Western Conference, availability and health will be a massive factor as the Spurs try and stay above .500 and make noise in a crowded playoff race.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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