The San Antonio Spurs kicked off their final homestand of the season with a win over the Philadelphia 76ers, but they may have lose Victor Wembanyama in the process.
The San Antonio Spurs dismantled the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, winning 115-102. The Spurs were led by the fifth triple-double of Stephon Castle's career, with the second-year guard finishing with 19 points, 13 assists, and ten rebounds.
In just 16 minutes of play, Victor Wembanyama added 17 points, five rebounds, and three blocks. Of course, he would leave the game with 44 seconds left in the first half and did not return, officially ruled out with a rib contusion.
It remains to be seen just how long he will miss.
Spurs Overcome Injury, Provide Update
The Spurs have been extra cautious with Wembanyama all season long, although he needs to play in two of the final three games if he wants to be eligible for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and All-NBA teams.
Immediately after the game, Mitch Johnson was greeted by a scrum of reporters, and he didn't seem to know too much, but he sounded optimistic.
"Nothing," he summed up. "That's not even placating anything. I'm not sure. I know he came back, and he just didn't finish. And so at halftime, I was told he wasn't coming back. And honest to God, I haven't heard anything else up to this point."
Wembanyama, it turns out, suffered the injury earlier in the second quarter, but kept himself in until he took one final jostle, which Johnson is choosing to believe is a good sign.
"I think it would be a positive that he felt like he could come back, and he played the last four or five minutes of the half," he added. "So that's a positive from my perspective. But I'd have nothing."
In the second half, the Spurs actually outscored the Sixers by six points, even without Wembanyama. Keldon Johnson played some small-ball center, Luke Kornet finished with ten points, and Carter Bryant rose to the occasion when his number was called.
It's reasons like this that the Spurs inked Kornet to a four-year deal over the summer.
"I thought Luke stabilized the starting unit when he started the third," Johnson added. "And I thought everybody participated in really trying to play our identity and our pace, and the small ball lineup played well, obviously, when Luke went out to make sure that we didn't overplay him. And Carter and Keldon fought their butts off."
Kornet has started 24 games this season for the Spurs, including several where Wembanyama came off the bench as he recovered from injury.
