Returning to the NBA last Saturday after an eight-day absence due to a knee contusion, Victor Wembanyama scored 25 points against Golden State. Tuesday, the San Antonio Spurs star and French basketball nugget raised his voice. He scored 34 points during his team’s fourth consecutive victory at the Utah Jazz (128-115). “Wemby” signed a 13/23 shooting including a 6/14 three-pointer, plus seven rebounds and three blocks.
San Antonio makes the difference in the 4th quarter
The match was balanced until the start of the last quarter. San Antonio started it narrowly leading (96-93) but then had the upper hand, inflicting a 32-22 on its opponent. This is the third time this season, in four matches, that the Spurs have dominated Utah. San Antonio remains 10th in the Western Conference, while the Jazz are still 14th and penultimate.
In addition to Wembanyama, Stephon Castle also contributed to the Texans’ victory, with 23 points scored. Sidy Cissoko, San Antonio’s second French player, remained on the sidelines. For the Utah Jazz, Keyonte George was the most prominent, with 26 points and a 6/12 long-distance shooting.
Sarr matches his best performance in the NBA
While the Spurs won, the Washington Wizards conceded a 12th defeat in a row, at home against the Chicago Bulls (127-108) and remained stuck in 15th and last place in the Eastern Conference. The franchise from the US capital got off to a good start, leading 29-21 at the end of the first quarter, but was then knocked out. during the second by conceding a terrible 40-18. Seven Chicago players exceeded ten points including Coby White (21 pts).
For Washington, Kyle Kuzma was the most effective (23 pts), followed by Alexandre Sarr, author of 20 points (7/11 shooting including 4/5 three-pointers) and seven rebounds. The French pivot, No. 2 in the last NBA draft, thus equaled his best performance in the North American pro league. He had already scored 20 points on November 15 against the Atlanta Hawks. Bilal Coulibaly, also a Wizards player, scored eight points in 37 minutes of play.
Another Frenchman in contention on Tuesday on the NBA floors, Rudy Gobert lost at home with the Minnesota Timberwolves against the Houston Rockets (117-111 AD). Although he only scored five points, he was active on the rebound with 16 shots.
