Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Champagnie, Vassell, Fox
Victor Wembanyama had a reassuring message for Spurs fans after being forced to leave Wednesday’s game with a hyperextended left knee, Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News writes in a subscriber-only story. The injury looked scary as Wembanyama limped off the court early in the fourth quarter, but he doesn’t believe it’s serious.
“I’m feeling good, just sore,” Wembanyama said. “I’m confident. I was this close to coming back into the game. They had to hold me back. … It was just a hyperextension. It should be a minimal. … We are going to do everything tomorrow to make sure it is OK.”
Wembanyama expects to be available for Friday’s game at Indiana on the first night of a back-to-back, but he acknowledged that the team’s medical staff may not agree with his assessment. The injury occurred when he landed awkwardly while fighting for an offensive rebound. After having it checked out, he walked normally as he returned to the Spurs’ bench late in the game while wearing slippers.
“Have not been able to talk to the medical staff yet, but I think I saw what everybody else saw,” coach Mitch Johnson told reporters. “Obviously, he finished the game on the bench with his teammates, so I think that made me feel good. I have no idea what to say, but it was good to see him walk back out and be able to finish the game on the bench with his teammates.”
There’s more from San Antonio:
- Julian Champagnie sparked a comeback win over New York with a historic shooting performance, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). Champagnie made 11 of his 17 three-point attempts on a night when his teammates shot just 3-of-21 from beyond the arc, and his 36 points were the most in NBA history for a player without taking a two-point shot.
- Champagnie started the game in place of Devin Vassell, who’s dealing with an adductor strain. Johnson said Vassell is expected to miss “more than a game or two,” Orsborn tweets.
- The Spurs traded for De’Aaron Fox because of his reputation as one of the NBA’s best closers, and he displayed those skills on Wednesday by scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter after Wembanyama left the game, McDonald notes. The performance looked familiar to Knicks coach Mike Brown, who guided Fox for three years in Sacramento. “He’s just a great player, man,” Brown said. “The stuff that’s happening here with him, it’s not a surprise to me at all.”
Victor Wembanyama Leaves Game Early, Avoids Major Injury
Victor Wembanyama suffered a hyperextended left knee in the Spurs‘ win over the Knicks on Wednesday night, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter). However, according to Charania, initial tests suggested that no major injury had been sustained.
“I’m feeling good, just sore. I’m confident,” Wembanyama said, per Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). “I was close to coming back into the game. They had to hold me back…It was just a hyperextension. It should be a minimal.”
The Spurs’ star bumped knees with Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns in the fourth quarter while fighting for a rebound and landed awkwardly, staying on the ground for several moments before the Spurs committed an intentional foul to stop play. Wembanyama immediately exited the game and headed to the locker room.
Wembanyama reportedly told fans “I’ll be back” when he left the court (Twitter link via Stefan Bondy of the New York Post), but when he returned, he was wearing slippers, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The Spurs were able to come back and register a 134-132 victory despite not having their superstar center — they’ll now await a more specific diagnosis.
This was just the third start for the Frenchman since mid-November. He missed 12 games due to a calf strain, then came off the bench for the next seven games, including against the Knicks in the NBA Cup championship, in order to work his way back into competitive shape.
Doncic, Antetokounmpo Lead Early Fan Voting For All-Star Game
Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo lead the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively, in the first returns of fan voting for the All-Star Game, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
Doncic leads all players with 1,249,518 votes. The top five vote-getters from the Western Conference also include Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama.
Joining Antetokounmpo among the top five in the Eastern Conference are Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell.
Fans voting represents 50% of the vote to determine the five players from each conference to be named as starters for the All-Star Game, with current NBA players and a media panel accounting for 25% each. This year, All-Stars are being selected without regard to position.
A newly-created, round-robin tournament featuring a USA vs. World format will be held Sunday, Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome, the new home of the Clippers.
Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Fox, OKC Rivalry, K. Johnson
The Spurs are looking like title contenders after posting their third win of the season over Oklahoma City, but the exuberance won’t change their plans with Victor Wembanyama‘s recovery from a left calf strain, Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News writes in a subscriber-only story. Wembanyama has been on a minutes restriction since returning from the injury, which sidelined him for 12 games. He has come off the bench in all seven games during that stretch and put up 19 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes in Thursday’s victory over the defending champs.
“I don’t know when it becomes unrestricted, but his minutes will be mindful for dot, dot, dot,” coach Mitch Johnson told reporters before the game. “There’s nothing that’s going to make us flinch or change on that. If this game goes into triple overtime, he will not be in the game. There’s no circumstances that will allow us to get outside of ourselves with that regard.”
Johnson added that Wembanyama agrees that the gradual ramp-up is in his best interest. He wasn’t able to play after the All-Star break last season due to deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder, and he wants to be available this year as San Antonio looks capable of making a long playoff run.
“Again, the emotions, the excitement, the circumstances of being in a Cup game, playing on Christmas, playing a big-time team, having a couple wins in a row, none of that is going to allow us or dictate to us in terms of the big picture of what we want for that young man and for this team,” Johnson said. “And so when you look at the injury and what history tells us in terms of being mindful of bringing a guy, a player back from that, and you look at his unique anatomy and all the things we want to accomplish, not today, not this year, but years to come, there’s nothing worth sacrificing or risking his long-term health and his long-term growth.”
There’s more on the Spurs:
- De’Aaron Fox was able to get the shots he wanted against the league’s best defense and helped the Spurs get off to a strong start by scoring 21 of his 29 points in the first half, Orsborn adds. Fox was determined to make an impression in his first appearance in the NBA’s holiday showcase. “This being my first Christmas game, I just wanted to have a good game and come out with a win,” he said. “We did that, and we did it from the jump outside of the first couple of possessions. I think we were really good throughout the course of the game.”
- The Spurs and Thunder both cited a playoff atmosphere as they met for the third time in less than two weeks, per Cliff Brunt of The Associated Press. OKC fell to 26-5, and according to ESPN, it’s the first time since the 1966/67 season that three of a team’s first five losses have come against the same opponent. With so many games left to play, Wembanyama was reluctant to say that Thursday’s outcome made a statement. “Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t,” he said. “But we’re focused on the rest of the season. It’s very long. We’re not even halfway through, so I’m not really sure it’s, I don’t know the word — I’m not really sure it’s smart to think so far into the future.”
- Thursday marked Keldon Johnson‘s 400th game with the Spurs, Orsborn notes in a separate story. Johnson also rec0rded his 25th career game with 20 or more points off the bench. “That’s my job,” he said. “I take pride in doing what my team needs me to do. And for me, it’s being an energy guy, being a leader, being whatever, being adaptable to whatever role I need to be in for my team to be successful. And I put my teammates first. I put my team first.”
NBA Announces All-Tournament Team For 2025 Cup
Knicks guard and NBA Cup Most Valuable Player Jalen Brunson is among the five standout players named to the All-Tournament team for the 2025 Cup, according to an announcement from the league (Twitter link).
The All-Tournament team, which was voted on by 20 media members and is based on players’ performance in both group play and the knockout round, is as follows:
Jalen Brunson, Knicks (20 total votes)- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder (18)
- Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks (12)
- Luka Doncic, Lakers (11)
- De’Aaron Fox, Spurs (11)
Brunson led the Knicks to this year’s NBA Cup title by averaging 33.2 points and 5.8 assists per game with a .531/.462/.658 shooting line in six games, including Tuesday’s final. Towns complemented him by putting up 21.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per night in his seven Cup outings, shooting 48.4% from the floor and 37.1% on three-pointers.
Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.6 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.0 rebounds in six Cup games before his Thunder were sent home in Saturday’s semifinal. He also had a scorching hot shooting line of .595/.481/.877 in those games.
Doncic’s Lakers were eliminated in the quarterfinals, but he put up monster numbers in his five Cup contests, including 36.2 PPG, 10.0 APG, and 7.6 RPG per game, plus a 44.2% three-point mark.
Fox helped guide the Spurs to the Cup final by averaging 22.3 PPG and 7.7 APG while converting 39.5% of his three-pointers.
Magic wing Desmond Bane, Knicks forward OG Anunoby, and Spurs teammates Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama were among the players who just missed the cut for the team. The full voting results can be found right here.
Southwest Notes: Poole, Flagg, Wembanyama, Spurs
After losing 22 of their first 25 games, the Pelicans are 2-0 since Jordan Poole returned from a quad strain. Poole, whose 18-game injury absence was the longest of his NBA career, admitted it was difficult to be patient during his recovery and rehab process, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com (subscription required).
“It’s one of those things where no matter what I did or no matter what treatment or recovery work that I did, the injury itself just needed time,” Poole said. “I was basically doing 24 hours around the clock of treatment and recovery trying to make the most of the opportunity of having time off. But also pushing myself that when I come back, I’m able to make an impact.”
Poole came off the bench last Thursday vs. Portland and on Sunday in Chicago, but he was an important contributor in both games, scoring a total of 38 points and handing out seven assists. New Orleans outscored the Trail Blazers and Bulls by 19 points in his 53 minutes on the court.
Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego referred to Poole as a “savvy scorer” and lauded him for his ability to keep “constant pressure” on opposing defenses.
“I think just his overall impact on the game is tremendous,” Borrego said. “He can go on a big run by himself. He can turn a two-point game into a six-point or eight-point game quickly on both ends of the floor. He’s coming with the right mentality. He’s not trying to force it. He’s trying to play within our system and be a team guy and that’s what we need.”
We have more from around the Southwest Division:
- No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg continues to look more comfortable in his first NBA season, writes Christian Clark of The Athletic. On Monday, the Mavericks forward became the first 18-year-old in league history to score at least 40 points in a game, as he racked up 42 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in an overtime loss to Utah. Flagg will celebrate his 19th birthday this Sunday.
- Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama was playing with a heavy heart on Tuesday in the NBA Cup final vs. New York. As Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required) writes, Wembanyama’s grandmother passed away on Tuesday morning. The 21-year-old told reporters during his post-game media session that he “just lost somebody today” and – after taking two questions – made an early exit alongside a team staffer.
- Could a deep run in the NBA Cup be a precursor to a deep run in the playoffs? Given that the Pacers made a conference finals and then an NBA Finals after losing the 2023 NBA Cup and the Thunder won a title after finishing as the runner-up in the 2024 Cup, Kevin Pelton of ESPN considers whether postseason success could be around the corner for the Spurs.
- For their part, the Spurs are looking forward to building on the experience of playing higher-stakes games early in the season, as Michael C. Wright of ESPN relays. “Sky is the limit,” rookie guard Dylan Harper said. “It’s our second game (with a healthy roster). It’s nothing to overreact about. We have won a lot of close games in the Cup or in the season in general. To be on this side is definitely a good learning experience. It teaches us a lot about ourselves, and it’s good that we have a whole lot of room to grow knowing what we have done up to this point.”
Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Fox, Harper, Kornet, M. Johnson
Victor Wembanyama made an enormous impact in his first game back from a calf strain, helping lead the Spurs to a victory over the defending champion Thunder and a berth in the final of the NBA Cup. The star big man came off the bench on Saturday and was on a minutes restriction, with head coach Mitch Johnson suggesting on Monday that may be the case again for Tuesday’s matchup with New York.
“It’ll be something that Victor and I will continue to talk through,” Johnson said, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN. “It’s hard. He wants to play. He wants to start. He wants to finish. Wherever you put some minutes, that means you have less over there.
“We still have to think about what’s best for the team, unfortunately. That decision can’t be made in a vacuum, even though it’s a very impactful and influential decision. We still have to make sure it fits with the other rollout of who’s playing with who and how that affects others.”
Johnson confirmed prior to Tuesday’s game that Wembanyama would come off the bench and receive a similar amount of minutes to the 21 he played against Oklahoma City, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
We have much more on the Spurs:
- Wembanyama raised some eyebrows after Saturday’s win when he said, “I’m just glad to be a part of something that’s growing to be so beautiful. So pure and ethical basketball.” As Weiss writes for The Athletic, “ethical basketball” could be interpreted as a slight at the playing style of the Thunder, who are now 24-2 after having their 16-game winning streak snapped. But the first part of Wembanyama’s comment was a reference to San Antonio’s play while he was injured — the team went 9-3 — and he clarified what his ideal version of basketball looks like on Monday. “In modern basketball, we see a lot of brands of basketball that don’t offer much variety in the dangers they pose to the opponents. Lots of isolation ball. Sometimes kind of forced basketball,” Wembanyama said. “We try to propose a brand of basketball that can be described as more old school sometimes, the Spurs’ way, as well. It’s tactically more correct basketball, in my opinion.”
- According to Weiss, many Spurs players entered the season simply hoping to make the playoffs, but their goal has become more ambitious after an 18-7 start. “We want to play in the playoffs. We want to put ourselves in a position to win a championship,” guard De’Aaron Fox said. “Obviously, that’s always a goal. How many teams are true contenders? Most would say three, maybe a fourth team. But for us, we’re just, like I said, going day by day. We know with the talent that we have in our locker room that we are a playoff team, yes. But we have to continue to do the little things that help us become a contender.”
- Fox has nothing but good things to say about the Spurs, telling Marc J. Spears of Andscape that he hasn’t “stopped smiling” since he was traded to San Antonio last February. “There is just so much talent in this locker room, and guys like seeing other guys succeed,” Fox said. “That is where it starts and you trust the other guy behind you. We’re going out there and playing together. We have a lot of individuals that could go into a lot of different gyms and put the ball in the basket and play in a lot of different scenarios. But everybody is sacrificing for each other. And this [versus the Thunder] is our first game with everybody, and I think we made a statement.”
- While Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel have put up the gaudiest stats thus far among the rookies from the 2025 draft, a rival Western Conference executive tells Mark Medina of Athlon Sports that he still views Spurs guard Dylan Harper as the second-best player (behind Flagg) in the class. “He plays with force,” the executive said of the No. 2 overall pick. “He’s not afraid of the moment. He believes in himself, and he’s competitive.”
- In an interview with Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, veteran center Luke Kornet discusses his first few months with the Spurs. Kornet signed a four-year deal with San Antonio as a free agent, though only the first two seasons are fully guaranteed. “I definitely feel like it’s a different part of life and career,” Kornet told ClutchPoints on Tuesday. “Overall, I just feel like I am in a different place in my career now. It’s about wanting more responsibility, and with a generally younger team as well, I embrace being someone who can help guide my teammates since I was once in their shoes. Becoming a member of the Spurs had definitely been a personal transition for me, not just on the court, but in terms of me and my family life.”
- Johnson has the full trust of the team’s players, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News, as well as the respect of opposing coaches. “I trust in Mitch a hundred percent,” said Spurs guard Devin Vassell, who had a game-high 23 points against the Thunder. “Mitch was my player development coach when I first got here, so me and him have an even better connection than the outside sees. But we all trust him. He’s the brains of all of this.”
Knicks, Spurs Advance To NBA Cup Final
Behind game highs of 40 points and eight assists from star guard Jalen Brunson, the Knicks defeated the Magic by 12 points on Saturday in Las Vegas to advance to the final of the NBA Cup, also known as the in-season tournament.
“When you have an MVP of the league candidate in Jalen Brunson, you know, 16-for-27, 40 points, he makes the game easier for everybody,” head coach Mike Brown said, per Vincent Goodwill of ESPN. “That’s what MVPs are supposed to do, and he definitely did that tonight.”
Karl-Anthony Towns (29 points on 9-of-11 shooting, nine rebounds) and OG Anunoby (24 points on 8-of-13 shooting, six rebounds, four assists, three steals) were among the other standouts for New York.
Jalen Suggs led Orlando with 26 points and seven assists, but he was forced to leave the game in the third quarter due to a left hip injury.
The other semifinal matchup featured San Antonio and Oklahoma City. The Spurs emerged with a two-point victory over the defending champions, ending the Thunder’s 16-game winning streak in the process.
As Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com details, while four Spurs finished with 20-plus points, the primary takeaway from the game was the play of big man Victor Wembanyama, who was making his first appearance in a month after missing the past 12 games due to a left calf strain. Coming off the bench for the first time in his career, the French star finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and two blocks, with San Antonio outscoring OKC by 21 points in his 21 minutes.
“It’s our first time playing [with] everybody [healthy],” Wembanyama said. “We were already a solid team already more than 20 games ago. It’s just experience. We’re just figuring it out. And the difference with us and [Oklahoma City] is we haven’t had this many reps recognizing what it takes to win. And this is our next step.
“This OKC team, they’re not just first in the league. They’re way ahead of everybody. And when you watch them, no matter who, whether it’s the 12th man or the starting five, whether they’re playing against the 15th seed or any kind of game, they’re playing the same way. They’re enjoying the little things that make them win, and this is the next step we have to pass.”
The final between New York and San Antonio will take place Tuesday at 7:30 pm CT in Las Vegas, the NBA announced (via Twitter). Both teams are currently 18-7.
Spurs Notes: Wembanyama, Guard Trio, Castle
While Victor Wembanyama is technically listed as probable for Saturday’s NBA Cup semifinal against Oklahoma City, Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson was certainly talking on Friday as though the star big man would be playing, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News.
“He’s going to be tired, the excitement, the mental fatigue. He was tired the first time I saw him play live against video guys. … I would expect an early sub and not his normal minutes,” Johnson said of Wembanyama, who has been out since November 14 due to a left calf strain.
Johnson added that Wembanyama was pushing hard behind the scenes to return to action, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN (Twitter link).
Here’s more on the Spurs:
- Wembanyama admitted he was hoping to return sooner than Saturday, according to Orsborn (Twitter link). “I would have come back earlier, but it is more reasonable to listen to (the team’s medical staff),” Wembanyama said. The French center also discussed San Antonio’s surprising 9-3 record without him, Orsborn adds (via Twitter). “The brand of basketball we were playing … it’s getting closer to the ideal basketball. … And everybody has something to eat,” Wembanyama said. “Everybody can step up at any time. … Everybody trusts the next teammate, so it’s just beautiful to see.”
- They’ve only shared the court together for two games, but the backcourt trio of De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper have already developed chemistry both on and off the floor, Orsborn writes for The Express-News. In 78 total minutes during Wednesday’s quarterfinal win over the Lakers, Fox, Castle and Harper combined for 63 points, 17 rebounds, 12 assists and three steals, Orsborn notes. “It’s been great,” forward Harrison Barnes said. “Each of them are different and their games complement each other. They’re all trying to make the right play, investing in the time off the court for that chemistry. So for us as a group, it’s great as we continue to evolve this thing and continue to get healthy, that those three continue to figure out ways to be effective.”
- Former UConn star Castle has purchased a stake in two professional expansion soccer teams in Connecticut, according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “It was the right choice just to start at my age and to also give back to the state of Connecticut for what they’ve done for me,” Castle told Andscape in a phone interview Thursday. “I just wanted to put my name out there as well and just have it build up as my career goes on. Just to have this on the back end is another great idea.”
Spurs’ Wembanyama Expected To Return On Saturday
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is expected to return to action on Saturday for the team’s NBA Cup semifinal matchup with Oklahoma City, per ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). San Antonio has officially listed Wembanyama as probable to play.
Wembanyama has missed the Spurs’ past 12 games due to a left calf strain he sustained on November 14. However, there was a sense this week that he was in the final stages of his recovery from that injury.
Asked after his team’s NBA Cup quarterfinal win on Wednesday whether there was a chance Wembanyama could be back for the semifinal, head coach Mitch Johnson replied, “Very much so.”
Wembanyama, who will turn 22 in January, was playing at an MVP-caliber level prior to his injury, averaging 26.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 3.6 blocks in 34.6 minutes per game as San Antonio won eight of its first 12 games.
Despite losing their defensive anchor, the Spurs have remained firmly in the thick of the Western Conference playoff picture by going 9-3 in his absence. At the time of Wembanyama’s injury, the Spurs ranked 12th in the NBA in offensive rating and sixth in defensive rating. Since November 15, the team has the league’s 20th-best defense but the sixth-best offense.
Barring a late setback for Wembanyama, it appears as if Saturday will be the first time that the Spurs have De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and Wembanyama active for the game game. Whether that will be enough to topple the 24-1 Thunder and earn a spot in Tuesday’s NBA Cup championship contest remains to be seen.