Inside The Spurs

Spurs Survive Overtime Thriller Over Hawks Behind Victor Wembanyama’s 40-Point Outing

The San Antonio Spurs eked by the Atlanta Hawks Thursday evening behind Victor Wembanyama’s 37-point performance, erasing their ugly home loss a few days prior and earning some positive momentum.

Matt Guzman

Dec 19, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) goes past Atlanta Hawks forward Larry Nance Jr. (22) in the first half at Frost Bank Center.
Dec 19, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) goes past Atlanta Hawks forward Larry Nance Jr. (22) in the first half at Frost Bank Center. / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
In this story:

SAN ANTONIO — Before the season, a marquee meeting between the last two No. 1 picks seems like it would be atop the list of excitable matchups.

A third of the way through the season, however? San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama has only continued to impress, and Atlanta Hawks rookie Zacchaire Risacher has struggled mightily.

Entering the contest, Risacher was shooting below 40 percent from the field and below 30 from 3, which isn’t promising, but also doesn’t account for how little time he’s logged.

WATCH: Does Stephon Castle Lead the Rookie of the Year Race?

That was a point of emphasis for Hawks coach Quin Synder ahead of the two Frenchman’s first go at each other.

“It's going to take time,” he said. “We put him in a lot of different situations offensively. He doesn't just take spot-ups. He shoots in transition, off screens … the only thing that would disappoint me about him is if he stopped shooting."

Such was the case Thursday evening, though it didn’t pan out in the Hawks’ favor. Risacher finished with nine points on 4-for-13 shooting from the field in a 133-126 Atlanta loss that went to the wire.

Dec 19, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (0) shoots against Atlanta Hawks forward Jal
Dec 19, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (0) shoots against Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) in the first half at Frost Bank Center. / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

A myriad of lead changes told the story of the late second half as a triad of Hawks — Trae Young, De’Andre Hunter and Jalen Johnson couldn’t do enough to lead their squad to victory on the road on the first night San Antonio sported a full roster.

Zach Collins, Tre Jones and Keldon Johnson were all upgraded to available prior to tip, but the Spurs were led by Victor Wembanyama, who notched 24 points in the first half en route to his second outing with at least 40 points on the season.

The 20-year-old also notched six rebounds, four blocks and seven 3-pointers while Devin Vassell trailed him with 23 points of his own on the evening.

By halftime, San Antonio was trailing by six points, but had it not been for a end-of-half scuffle, it might have been worse. With Wembanyama at the free throw line attempting to convert an And-1, he missed.

The result? A loose ball that found its way to Vassell behind the 3-point line, allowing him to generate some quick momentum that he carried over into the second half.

The Spurs had their usual strong third quarter, gaining back nine points to take a three-point lead to the final period, but a string of makes from Hunter kept Atlanta out front, at least until the fourth.

When the final 12 minutes rolled around, Wembanyama scored a self alley-oop off the glass and Chris Paul notched his first 3 of the game to give San Antonio a three-point lead with around two minutes to play.

From there, it became a game of matching.

Vassell matched a 3-pointer from Young, and then Paul matched one from Johnson, which became a four-point play that put the Spurs up by one point with under a minute to play. To close regulation, Hunter threw down a one-handed dunk to tie the game and a missed connection from Paul to Wembanyama gave the Hawks the final possession of the game.

Young tried his hand over Wembanyama, but couldn’t convert, sending the game to overtime.

READ MORE: Spurs' Anomalous Performance Won't Rob Them 'Pleasure' of Fitting In

Wembanyama took over in the final five minutes and the Spurs rode the momentum, leaving the Hawks scrambling for a way to slow him down, though it was Paul who iced the game with a 3 after heading to the bench a couple of possessions prior to give his squad the victory.

With the win, the Spurs improve to 14-13 on the season — back over .500 — and erase their “anomalous” loss to the Timberwolves as their Christmas showcase inches closer.

Next up is another home game against the Portland Trail Blazers Saturday night, where San Antonio will look to begin another win streak. Tipoff for that contest is set for 7:30 p.m. Central

San Antonio Spurs On Sports Illustrated

With Jared McCain Out, Stephon Castle Takes Rookie Driver Seat

Why Anomalous Performance Won't Rob Spurs 'Pleasure' of Fitting In

San Antonio Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich Releases Statement on Health

Published |Modified
Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

Home/News