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So incredible are some of Victor Wembanyama’s nightly stat lines that they come with an air of inevitability. In leading the very shorthanded San Antonio Spurs, he was one block and two assists short of a quadruple-double in a close 110-105 loss at the defending champion Denver Nuggets.
It’s not the first time in a phenomenal rookie season that Wembanyama, who’s been out of his teenage years for less than three months, has flirted with a feat that’s only been done four times in NBA history.
Count the 7-foot-5 marvel among those who think it’s a matter of when, not if.
“It’s going to happen, but I have other priorities,” Wembanyama said.
Tuesday night in Colorado, Wemby tallied 23 points, 15 rebounds, 9 blocks and 8 assists.
Victor Wembanyama battles Nikola Jokic
Two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic led all scorers with 42 points. His 16 rebounds matched teammate Michael Porter, Jr. for the game high in that category.
Seeing Jokic and Wembanyama match up for years to come is something to which San Antonio Hall of Fame Coach Gregg Popovich looks forward to.
“Victor, he gained a lot of respect tonight because Nikola is the best,” Popovich said. “For Victor to want to guard him and to learn, it was a real testament to how good he wants to be. To go up against Nikola, shows a lot. He’s learning by the minute.”
gg, @nuggets! pic.twitter.com/8mi7W0eR0B
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) April 3, 2024
Wembanyama, who following two previous losses to the defending champs has expressed admiration for Jokic’s game, again tipped his hat the 2024 Finals MVP.
“It’s fun. It’s very demanding in terms of scouting, in terms of how we have to react quickly,” Wembanyama said. “There’s no room for mistakes at any position.”
While Denver was without star guard Jamal Murray, the Spurs didn’t have their second, third and fourth leading scorers and lost one of their top role players at halftime. Devin Vassell, who was averaging 19.5 points per game, and Jeremy Sochan, who was scoring 11.6 per contest, are out for the remainder of the season. San Antonio also missed Keldon Johnson and his 15.8 points per night. Sharpshooter Cedi Osman did not return vs. the Nuggets after the intermission because of a right ankle injury.
In nearly leading his now 18-58 squad to the upset, Wemby’s initial reaction upon learning he nearly missed a quadruple-double wasn’t much of one.
“Okay,” the NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month responded.
Wembanyama’s other close calls with quadruple-double
Though he came tantalizing close on Tuesday night, the top pick in last summer’s draft has sniffed double figures in four stat categories on the same night before.
In mid March, he notched 7 blocks and 7 assists in scoring 33 and grabbing 15 rebounds in a win vs. the Brooklyn Nets. An early March victory vs. the Indiana Pacers saw Wembanyama record 6 blocks and 6 assists in addition to 31 points and 12 rebounds. In the second to last game of 2023 – also a Spurs win – he blocked 7 shots, dished out 6 assists and grabbed six rebounds with 30 points in only 24 minutes at the Portland Trail Blazers.
It’s beginning to feel like the next time we mention Wembanyama and quadruple-double in the same sentence, it’ll because the Rookie of the Year favorite would have notched the fifth in league history.
More must-reads:
- Cavaliers punch back, blowing out Celtics in Game 2
- Knicks get even more bad injury news ahead of Game 3
- The 'Most three-pointers made in one postseason' quiz
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