Inside The Spurs

Spurs React to Victor Wembanyama Career Night

Victor Wembanyama notched his first career triple-double in the San Antonio Spurs' win against the Toronto Raptors.

Jeremy Brener

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The San Antonio Spurs are celebrating after a 122-99 victory against the Toronto Raptors on Monday night at Scotiabank Arena.

It was a career night for No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama, who recorded his first career triple-double with 27 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocks. He became just the sixth rookie in NBA history to record a triple-double with blocks.

"For some reason, we felt great today," Wembanyama said postgame. "Had some rhythm. Started the game strong. I guess it's just the NBA. We have ups and downs. It's just days when you feel like it. We got to play off of this as well."

Victor Wembanyama Raptors
John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Wembanyama also earned the respect and praise from his coach Gregg Popovich, who joined in the choir of giving the No. 1 overall pick his flowers.

"He did a little bit of everything," Popovich said. "Obviously, he's (Wembanyama) an all-around talented player. Has a great feel for the game. It shows in a variety of ways. Whether it's passing or making decisions, blocking shots, it doesn't matter."

But even with the individual accolades, it couldn't have been done without Wembanyama's teammates, who did their parts alongside their rookie star to help seal the win.

"I feel like we fed off of Vic (Wembanyama) and we came out on both ends of the floor," Devin Vassell said. "Knocking down threes, blocking shots. He was just all over the place. Passing the ball. He was really carrying us through the first quarter. Jeremy (Sochan) was playing tremendous defense going against Scottie (Barnes).

"The way we were all together just on the defensive end and getting out and running was huge. It just shows when we're playing together like that, we're just connected and making shots and getting stops we can be a great team."

The win on Monday night was a glimpse into what things could look like for the Spurs when everything clicks. That can't be the case every night given the state of the roster around Wembanyama, but once his teammates catch up, San Antonio will once again be a problem for the rest of the NBA.

NBA Power Rankings: Spurs Rising After Wemby Triple-Double?

The Spurs are back in action tomorrow night against the Dallas Mavericks. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT.

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Jeremy Brener
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.

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