Victor Wembanyama dropped 41 points and 18 rebounds against the Warriors to back up his MVP case as the Spurs reel off 10 straight wins.
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama is playing like a man on a mission, and he’s not shy about it. After a dominant performance against the Golden State Warriors, Wembanyama made it clear that he’s zeroing in on the MVP award as his Spurs team surges toward the top seed. Wembanyama dropped 41 points and 18 rebounds in the 127-113 road victory against a rather thin Warriors squad. Despite the depleted competition, Wembanyama was electric, garnering praise from Golden State head coach Steve Kerr following the contest.
The Spurs have won 10 straight games. If you only count the games in which Wembanyama has appeared, that streak extends to 15. Wembanyama has averaged 27.9 points and 12.3 rebounds per game during that run. He also had a five-game stretch in that span where he had at least 15 rebounds, the longest such streak in San Antonio since Dennis Rodman in 1995. Ever since Wembanyama openly stated his MVP case, he’s done nothing but back his claims up. He reiterated his desire after the victory, pointing to all the Hall of Famers who seized every opportunity early in their careers – intending to do the same now.
Here is the full story from Spurs Roundtable writer Nick Teague on Wembanyama’s dominant night that strengthened his case.
Wembanyama still has to get past defending MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who remains the favorite. The Oklahoma City Thunder are also on a heater, winning 15 of their last 16 games with SGA eclipsing 40 points three times in the last two weeks. OKC currently leads San Antonio by two games with six remaining on the year. However, the Spurs hold the head-to-head tiebreaker. If not MVP, Wembanyama has all but locked up Defensive Player of the Year. As Kerr put it postgame, “he doesn’t look young anymore.”