Wednesday night’s game was an eye-opener for San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama as his team fell to the Boston Celtics 116-103. The Celtics dominated on both ends of the floor, with Jayson Tatum leading the offense with 32 points—his third straight 30-point game—while Kristaps Porzingis added 29 points and six rebounds.
The Spurs struggled against Boston’s resilient defense. De’Aaron Fox finished with 23 points after a slow first half, while Wembanyama was limited to 17 points overall on the night.
Wembanyama, the leading Defensive Player of the Year candidate, had nothing but praise for the Celtics after their stellar defensive performance.
Speaking to reporters postgame, the Spurs’ franchise player praised the Celtics (via Celtics reporter Taylor Snow).
“They know how to fit in the system,” Wembanyama said. “Their team defense is really good, and it makes it hard because they can really count on each other to cover up for each other’s mistakes. It’s different than most teams.”
Indeed, the Celtics have been impressive on the defensive end. The defending champions rank fifth overall in defensive dating (109.6) and fifth in the NBA in points allowed per game (108.1) (via NBA.com). The Spurs, on the other hand, rank 19th in Defensive Rating (114.1) and have allowed 114.4 points per game (18th in the league).
Despite the loss, Wembanyama made history on the night when he rejected a reverse layup attempt by Al Horford. The NBA made a historic announcement on the 7-foot-3 center, as he has now registered a block in 85 consecutive games, the longest active streak in 30 years.
Wembanyama is enjoying a second-year leap after an unprecedented rookie season that saw him unanimously win Rookie of the Year. The 2023 first overall pick is averaging 24.3 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, both up from last season’s averages (21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds). He is also averaging 3.7 assists, 3.8 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game.
