Victor Wembanyama delivered another dominant performance on Saturday against the Hornets after missing Thursday’s game due to soreness in his right ankle, writes Michael C. Wright of ESPN.
The Spurs star appeared fully recovered, finishing with 32 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, four blocks and two steals as San Antonio improved to a league-best 17-2 record since the start of February.
Coach Mitch Johnson said the team has benefited from facing a variety of situations during this successful stretch.
“It’s been really good for us to go through these games and find out about other teams and find out about ourselves,” Johnson said. “We’ve had to be in a lot of different types of games, whether it’s a little bit open or having to cover a lot of distance defensively, matching some physicality, late-game execution, seeing different ways that people guard us. All these experiences are, hopefully, lessons we turn into knowledge and wisdom moving forward.”
Wembanyama is considered a strong candidate for Defensive Player of the Year and could also receive MVP consideration, but he must reach the league’s 65-game minimum to qualify.
He can afford to miss just two more games for the remainder of the season, and Johnson acknowledged the difficulty of balancing that requirement with maintaining Wembanyama’s health.
“Victor has the longest things he wants to do that are important probably in the history of basketball,” Johnson said. “They all are important to me as well. There’s a lot that goes into that, and at times, we have to make tough decisions. Because on that long list, there are still things that we prioritize and put on the top of the list. But that guy, I think, is going to challenge us as long as we’re all here to continue to match that desire to keep checking things off that list.”
Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Harper, Kornet, Three-Point Shooting https://t.co/SW8956fuW7 pic.twitter.com/7H4HFTQhLc
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) March 15, 2026
