Spurs Comeback vs. Hornets Falls Short Without Victor Wembanyama

The San Antonio Spurs, without Victor Wembanyama, fell short to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.

Jeremy Brener | Jan 19, 2024

Spurs Comeback vs. Hornets Falls Short Without Victor Wembanyama /

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San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs have the short end of the stick after a 124-120 loss to the Charlotte Hornets inside the Spectrum Center on Friday night.

Despite playing without Victor Wembanyama, who was resting his ankle to prepare for Saturday's game, the Spurs held their own against the Hornets.

With less than a minute to go, the Spurs had the chance to take a lead, but a turnover thwarted their chances. Then, LaMelo Ball made a reverse layup to go up by three points.

San Antonio's attempt to tie the game came with 17 seconds left, but Devin Vassell couldn't connect on the 25-footer.

Terry Rozier Tre Jones Hornets — Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

The Spurs were led by Keldon Johnson, who scored a team-high 25 points off the bench on 9 of 15 shooting.

Zach Collins made his return to the lineup tonight, starting in place of Wembanyama, scoring 16 points in 26 minutes.

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For the Hornets, all five starters had at least 15 points, including a game-high 28 from Ball.

The Spurs have a quick turnaround, returning to the floor tomorrow night against the Washington Wizards in the nation's capital. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.

Published Jan 19, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.