Victor Wembanyama delivered a commanding 39-point, 11-rebound performance as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Boston Celtics 125-116 on Tuesday.
The 7-foot-4 forward matched a career high with eight three-pointers and added three assists and two blocks, guiding the Spurs to a two-game season sweep of Boston.
Wembanyama addressed an early hit to his face during the game. “Congested and painful, but luckily it’s okay. I don’t use it to play basketball,” he said, clarifying that the contact was just under his nose.
On his scoring approach, he explained, “Most of it was reading the game, you know. I’m not going to complain about what they did. You kind of pride yourself on being a guy that can adjust to whatever defenses throw at you. If you want to play me this way, I can beat you that way and vice versa.”
The Spurs’ forward highlighted the importance of adaptability. “Yeah, for sure. I think that’s something that defines me. So, it’s definitely something I’m—I don’t want to lose ever,” he said.
Wembanyama also praised De’Aaron Fox, who had 25 points and nine assists. “Oh, I mean what I see from him is great decision-making and really being in peace with the basketball gods, you know, not forcing things, doing the right play,” Wembanyama said.
He reflected on his three-point shooting and overall versatility. “A game like this is great for reps, is great for confidence. As I said before, it’s something I’m definitely trying to keep doing, adapting to what the defense gives me,” he explained.
Wembanyama emphasized the goal of being unguardable. “Someday the goal is to be kind of unplayable, having answers for any situation,” he said.
He also praised the Spurs’ collective focus. “We were able to handle that. But I don’t lose sight of the fact that it wasn’t their best team out there and the conditions were a little special. Even though we won that game, we still need a good reminder,” Wembanyama said.
Regarding Boston’s ejection of Jaylen Brown in the first half, Wembanyama noted his team’s discipline. “It’s not that hard because we know what we want to do. The opposite situation would be bad if we lost our focus. That would show immaturity. So we do what we got to,” he said.
San Antonio shot 52 percent from the field and 43 percent from three-point range while controlling the glass 44-37. Wembanyama’s all-around performance was key to extending the Spurs’ winning streak to five games and solidifying second place in the Western Conference.
Boston, led by Derrick White’s 34 points and Jayson Tatum’s 24, kept the game competitive despite the ejection, but the Celtics fell to 43-22, remaining second in the Eastern Conference.
