Short-Handed Spurs Shocked By Bucks, Lose 4th Straight on Victor Wembanyama's Birthday

It was a valiant effort from the home-team San Antonio Spurs Thursday evening on Victor Wembanyama's 20th birthday, but despite some of the best basketball they've played all season, they couldn't quite get the job done against the Milwaukee Bucks.

SAN ANTONIO — A self alley-oop only counts for two points, but to Frost Bank Center, Victor Wembanyama's mid-second-quarter dunk was worth far more. 

After losing on the road to the Memphis Grizzlies — with Ja Morant this time — the San Antonio Spurs returned home looking for a win to get back on the right side of the record sheet three games after their win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

In order to do that, they'd have to overcome Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, and even with Wembanyama back in the mix, that was no easy task.

And unfortunately for the Spurs, it was too hard of a task. They chased close behind the Bucks nearly the entire game and eventually took a lead of their own late in the fourth, but it wasn't enough as Milwaukee secured a 125-121 thriller-win over Wembanyama on his 20th birthday. 

Wembanyama had a game to remember, making the highlight reel several times throughout his 27-point, nine-rebound performance. On defense, the rookie notched five blocks and a steal while Devin Vassell recorded the second 30-point game of his career to lead the Spurs with his 7-4 teammate. 

For Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo did most of the heavy lifting, tallying 44 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and a pair of steals to go along with Damian Lillard's 25-point performance, which ended up being enough to nab a victory.

Jan 4, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) between San Antonio Spurs forward Dom Barlow (26) and guard Devin Vassell (24) during the first half at Frost Bank Center / © Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

Right off the bat, a 20-year-old Wembanyama scratched the scoresheet with two free throws. He was fouled on a layup attempt, and from there, San Antonio took a brief 5-2 lead. But that was about all the time they had ahead in the first half.

A group effort of Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton and Malik Beasley helped propel the Bucks to an 11-0 run to quickly flip the script and force the Spurs to play from behind. And that's where they remained through the first quarter.

Despite being unable to take a lead on Milwaukee, San Antonio hung in there, keeping its fans engaged throughout the entirety of the first half. 

And remember that alley-oop?

DID HE JUST...😳🤯 pic.twitter.com/Tj8rWL0mtm

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 5, 2024

Wembanyama sent the entire crowd into a frenzy with his All-Star-ish play — maybe perhaps a preview of what could be to come in Indianapolis — but no matter how hard the Spurs tried, they couldn't seem to shake the five-point deficit they found themselves in, going down 59-64 at the half.

The third quarter began with another Bucks run to seemingly take away all the Spurs' momentum before it even began, but instead of laying down and letting the game get away from them, they turned to Wembanyama. 

And the rookie delivered.

After nabbing a poke-away steal to give himself the ball on a solo fast break, Wembanyama wrapped the ball around his back before posterizing Brook Lopez. He then proceeded to score a circus layup And-1 and hit a 3-pointer to bring his team back within striking distance, garnering a few MVP chants at the free throw line in the process. But the Spurs weren't done yet.

After Dominick Barlow went to the locker room with an injury that kept him down on the court for a few seconds, San Antonio — and its fans – made sure to not miss a beat. 

The Spurs continued to keep up with Milwaukee and took its first lead with 53 seconds to play in the third period, and with time nearly expiring, Johnson hit an under-handed reverse layup to tie the game at 93 a piece heading to the fourth quarter.

Frost Bank Center only got louder as the fourth quarter began, as the Spurs started hot in the same way the Bucks did the third quarter. 

Two straight 3-pointers from Cedi Osman and Keldon Johnson put San Antonio in front by as many as four points before Johnson slammed home a reverse dunk under the rim. 

But then, it was Milwaukee's turn to respond. 

Lillard and Antetokounmpo brought the Bucks back fairly quickly and kept them from falling too far behind on the road as both teams continued to duke it out heading into crunch time.

Vassell put back his own miss to make the Spurs' lead five, but Antetokounmpo recorded an And-1 down low to make the lead just two points, and later hit a 3-pointer to equalize the score with under three minutes to play. 

The Bucks' power forward hit another one to give Milwaukee back the lead, but Wembanyama once again responded with one of his own, and both teams headed to the final minute tied up. Some back-and-forth later put both teams in a position to win, but it was Milwaukee that took home a win after Jones missed a wide-open 3-pointer in the corner to seal the deal as the Bucks won 125-121.

'Sharper!' Spurs Sound Off on Grizzlies Loss Ahead of Facing Bucks

With the loss, the San Antonio Spurs fall to 5-29 on the season and notch their fourth straight loss for the third time this season. 

Wembanyama only further solidified his case as a rookie All-Star, which was a positive, but now shifts his focus to playing the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road and ideally emerging victorious.

Tipoff from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is set for noon CST Sunday.