In search of their first win of the Rodeo Highway Journey and to bust a seven-game dropping streak, the San Antonio Spurs entered Toronto with little doubt that they’d make it occur tonight. After some sluggish performances, they exploded from opening tip, getting out to a 10-0 lead and by no means trying again. They have been led by the strolling spotlight actual, Victor Wembanyama, who had a triple double of 27 factors, 15 rebounds and 10 blocks plus 5 assists for the 122-99 blowout victory over the Raptors.
Devin Vassell additionally had a superb outing with 25 factors on 5-7 taking pictures from three and 6 assists. Grady Dick and Kelly Olynyk led the Raptors in scoring from the bench with 18 and 17 factors, respectively.
Observations
Wemby entered the sport seeking to eradicate any point out of hitting the Rookie Wall. After a little bit of a breakthrough to open the third quarter in Brooklyn, he opened the evening in Toronto with a 3, two blocks, aiding a Tre Jones three, an alley-oop dunk in transition, and free throws to identify the Spurs an early 10-0 lead. By the tip of his first stint, he had 9 factors, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and three blocks. His halftime stat line of 19/6/5/3/2 (steals) was the primary time any NBA participant had recorded such stats in a half since play-by-play started in 1996-97.
Wemby wasn’t the one one to bust out of a hunch within the first half. The Spurs offense as a complete did, with 67 factors on 63% taking pictures, together with 7-13 from three. Quite a lot of that was due to 13 Raptors turnovers, which they acquired 23 factors off of. (The Spurs had 10 turnovers themselves however solely gave up 8 factors off them.)
Jeremy Sochan was sporting a brand new look tonight, full with a white headband, taking pictures sleeves on each arms, and leggings. If it was meant to deliver a brand new vibe, it labored early as he had three dunks and a slicing layup within the first quarter. He completed the evening with 16 factors, 6 rebounds and a pair of blocks and performed some glorious protection to lock down Scottie Barnes all evening. He ought to keep it up.
Everyone knows this has been a down season, and Zach Collins is a significantly better three-point shooter than his numbers. That being stated, the place he has actually been atrocious is from the highest of the arc. His photographs from there are all the time brief, and whereas we wish to inform him to cease taking that shot, it appears to be a part of the playbook that he receives the ball up there. Perhaps he isn’t imagined to shoot it however is as a result of defenses are beginning to sag off of him, however regardless, it must be irradicated from the playbook. (That being stated, I used to be really considerably stunned to he’s nearly making 25% of these photographs.)
Wemby was formally on triple-double watch after he blocked 4 straight Raptors photographs within the third quarter to succeed in seven. He sat at 9 for a lot of the fourth quarter, going for every little thing the Raptors dared to shoot round him, and after two objective tends, he lastly acquired quantity 10 on Dick with seven minutes remaining for the primary triple-double involving blocks since Clint Capela in 2021.
Misplaced in all of the Wemby-mania of the evening was one other glorious efficiency from Vassell. After appropriately deferring to a scorching Wemby and going scoreless within the first quarter, he exploded for 13 factors within the second and stayed scorching from there. He hit his first 5 threes and was concerned within the play of the sport (and probably the 12 months), which began with Wemby’s tenth block and ended with Vassell saving the ball from going out of bounds on the sidelines with a behind-the-back cross to Wemby for a dunk. It was so spectacular Wemby was even trying again at Vassell earlier than he had accomplished the dunk and ran again up the court docket wide-eyed.
The Spurs will conclude the “first half” of the season on Wednesday towards the Dallas Mavericks. Tip-off shall be at 7:30 PM CT on Bally Sports activities.
