For the second time this season, the San Antonio Spurs beat the Detroit Pistons, and after the game Victor Wembanyama didn't want to downplay regular-season success.
It's safe to say that Victor Wembanyama missed playing in San Antonio.
The Spurs dominated on their Rodeo Road Trip, dropping only a single game and further cementing themselves as championship contenders, but by the end of it, Wembanyama was clearly tired.
It only took one game back at the Frost Bank Center for him to get his wings back under him, going off for 38 points, 16 rebounds, five blocks, and no turnovers in a 121-106 win over the Detroit Pistons.
The Spurs are undefeated against Detroit, the best team in the East, and are 4-1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the best team in the West. Wembanyama didn't downplay their success against the top teams, leaning on it as a point of pride instead.
Wemby Thinks Spurs Have Set the Tone
Heading into the playoffs, despite probably not holding the top seed, the Spurs have established themselves as the team to beat. They hold season series leads over every real Western Conference contender, minus the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Wemby doesn't think it's right to downplay that success.
"It matters a lot," he said after the game. "I think, though, that usually what you want to see from the regular season is being good against top teams and being great against small teams. So I don't know a record about everywhere in the league, but that's for sure reassuring. It shows potential."
Earlier in the season, the Spurs beat--barely--putrid teams like the New Orleans Pelicans or Brooklyn Nets. While they won, the ugliness of those games cast some doubt on their ability to go up against the best of the best. Since those autumn games, the Spurs have silenced any doubt.
While there are some key differences between the playoffs and regular season, the Spurs have easily crossed every hurdle thus far. They have adjusted to physicality, improved their 3-point shooting, especially against better defensive teams, and have polished their rotation as the season wears on.
Their lack of experience is the only knock against them, but they are expected to get an ample postseason run this year, as the sole rival to Oklahoma City in the Western Conference.
The Spurs will stay at home, hosting the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, with no rest between games.