Spurs' Victor Wembanyama Struggles to Score vs. Rockets
San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama has had a tremendous first season in the NBA, but he hasn't excelled in every game.
The otherworldly rookie didn't put on his best performance as the Spurs lost 103-101 to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night at the Frost Bank Center. He scored 13 points while grabbing 10 rebounds in the loss, a sign of the Rockets' game plan against him.
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"Our attention to (Wembanyama), making the other guys have to prove it to beat us, which some of them did for a minute," Rockets coach Ime Udoka said postgame. "(Spurs power forward Jeremy) Sochan and (point guard Tre) Jones hit some shots that kind of kept them in it. But the main thing was taking out those two, and I think we did a good job again."
Wembanyama has struggled all season against the Rockets. In four meetings against Houston, Wembanyama has averaged just 14.8 points per game, about six points shy of his season average. Only the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers have held him to lower averages, but those teams have played against Wembanyama fewer times than the Rockets.
Wembanyama will see a lot of the Rockets throughout his career, and as he grows in the NBA, he will learn how to adjust when teams make it more difficult for him.
Wembanyama and the Spurs will move on and play their next game on Friday against the defending champion Denver Nuggets, where the potential Rookie of the Year will match up with two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT in Austin.
