NEW YORK (AP) — Victor Wembanyama shook off his miss at the buzzer in Game 2 by taking over Game 3 of the NBA Finals and preventing the San Antonio Spurs from getting pushed to the brink of elimination.
Wembanyama made the first two shots he attempted on Monday night on the way to scoring 32 points in a 115-111 victory at the New York Knicks. He had nine points in the first five minutes, including an alley-oop on the first basket of the game and a dunk on the next possession and was a force on both ends of the court, especially late when it mattered most.
Wembanyama was a key to San Antonio building an early lead but even more importantly in a third-quarter rally to bounce back from another blown double-digit lead.
After delivering the pass to Keldon Johnson for a layup that tied the score at 76 with 5:38 left in the third, Wembanyama hit a 3-pointer from 29 feet out to put the Spurs ahead. He scored the first basket of what turned into a dominant fourth quarter, later drawing a foul and making a pair of free throws for San Antonio’s 99th and 100th points.
With four minutes left and the Knicks looking to stage another comeback, Wembanyama surged to block what looked to be an easy layup by Landry Shamet.
Wembanyama finished with eight rebounds, six assists and three blocks in what was close to a must-win situation. No team has fallen behind 3-0 in the finals and come back to win the series.
Teammates were not at all worried about Wembanyama in the aftermath of the 22-year-old star clanking a shot off the rim that would have been the Game 2 winner. Johnson said his recommendation was to shoot again and made clear the Spurs want the ball in Wembanyama’s hands at important moments.
Over the weekend, coach Mitch Johnson said he spoke to Wembanyama, though it didn’t appear to be anything different from their normal conversations over the course of the season and playoffs.
“I think he’s looking for what my job is, which is to help him, support him, give him clarity, give him solutions or possible solutions to continue to give him opportunities and give him advantages,” Johnson said before the game. “That’s our job, and my job specifically, to put these guys in position to be successful, and then they have got to go and help themselves and help their teammates when they get out there on the floor.”
Knicks counterpart Mike Brown acknowledged there’s no way to gauge how well an opponent feels about containing Wembanyama because the 7-foot-4 big man is that impactful.
“It’s a pretty simple formula: You’re not blocking his shots, you’re not getting him off his spots — you’re not doing these things to him,” Brown said. “You hope you can make him work at the end of the day, and you hope he misses some shots.”
Wembanyama missed seven shots from the floor, going 11 of 18 and silencing the crowd that at one point directed a vulgar chant his way. He’ll now get a chance to help the Spurs try to even the finals in Game 4 on Wednesday night back at Madison Square Garden.
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