Wembanyama Unleashes His Dominance: 40 Points and an Unstoppable Spectacle
In a night for the history books, Victor Wembanyama dazzled at the American Airlines Center, leaving an indelible mark on the San Antonio Spurs’ triumph over the Dallas Mavericks with a score of 125-92. The young prodigy, along with Julian Champagnie, observed his work with admiration, sealing the performance with a simple but forceful: “That was niiiice”. The Frenchman demonstrated the evolution forged during a transformative summer, which changed him physically and mentally. “Much more in control of myself,” Wembanyama stated, highlighting the importance of mindset and health. “The body? I have more fun now that it doesn’t cost me so much to move.” His performance, which included spectacular dunks, precise shots, and refined moves, contrasted with the eight months and eleven days he had spent without playing in the NBA. Wembanyama became the first player since the 1977-78 season to record 40 points with 15 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 0 turnovers, with an impressive 70% field goal efficiency. Wembanyama’s 40 points set a new record for a player in a season-opening game in Spurs history.Dallas, which started the game with an imposing lineup, including Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II, couldn’t stop Wembanyama. The player scored 11 points in the first quarter, showing his dominance from the start. He surprised everyone with a dunk over Cooper Flagg and assisted Dylan Harper for his first assist in the NBA. Davis acknowledged the difficulty of facing Wembanyama: “The guy is 7-3. Sometimes the foul calls were a bit questionable. But when he’s 7-3 and in front of you, nobody’s going to block a shot. He shoots over you. At that point, you just pray he misses.” The chemistry between Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, last season’s Rookie of the Year, was key. Castle assisted Wembanyama on a spectacular alley-oop. Both players combined to score or assist on 42 of the Spurs’ 60 points in the first half. Castle highlighted teamwork and the importance of watching videos together. “We’ve been working on that all summer, and it’s starting to take shape,” he said. Wembanyama had a memorable third quarter with 10 points, including a three-pointer after a pump fake and a foul, completing a four-point play. Flagg, impressed, admitted: “It’s something I’ve never seen before.” Johnson replaced Wembanyama after a shot that increased the Spurs’ lead to 30 points. At that moment, Wembanyama reflected on his summer of transformation and the arduous journey since February. “It feels like every day we try to put a brick to build a big mansion, and I felt like the work was done for today,” Wembanyama said. “This is what we’ve been working for. This is what we’ve been fighting for so long, and I felt like it fit. I felt like I was in my place.” “We needed to make a statement in our locker room. The feeling was really that there was nothing more we could have done to help ourselves today. I felt like we did everything we needed to do. We felt ready and felt that we wouldn’t regret the things we should have worked on or the things we should have done in the summer. I felt comfortable with the work we did and with the preparation up to this point. Now all the dice are cast in the Western Conference.”“He’s been out for eight months. You saw him take the moment and play spectacularly. But honestly, the most impressive line is zero turnovers. The amount of fundamentally solid plays he made tonight was impressive,” commented Spurs coach Mitch Johnson.
Mitch Johnson, Spurs Coach
