Wembanyama Does It All as Spurs Squash Hornets 115-102 in his Return

SAN ANTONIO - Victor Wembanyama returned from a one-game absence with one of his most complete games of the season, filling every part of the stat sheet as the Spurs beat the Hornets 115-102.

Wembanyama finished with 32 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks as he powered the Spurs to the win. He scored in every which way, hitting 5-10 from beyond the arc and swishing from mid-range as well as the paint scoring which is almost a given at this point.

7-foot-5 hitting post fades from 20 feet outpic.twitter.com/d00irSNy8V
— Silver & Black Coffee Hour (@SlvrBlkCoffeeHr) March 14, 2026

He said after the game that he wants to go after MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, and that the inflammation in his body was down everywhere except for the sore right ankle that kept him out of the previous game.

Wemby said that the inflammation in his body is down everywhere except for one place: his ankle

I asked him about the ankle braces he warmed up with Thursday and ditched today, their impact on his flexibility and how he liked them.

“Better to use the least amount of equipment” pic.twitter.com/sIcSQ5yqUo
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) March 14, 2026

On the defensive end Wembanyama blew up passing lanes and obliterated layup attempts, reaching halfway to the ceiling to reject Coby White who was left in disbelief.

That ball is 12 feet off the floor at least, dear god

pic.twitter.com/L6UB0Bbz6O
— Silver & Black Coffee Hour (@SlvrBlkCoffeeHr) March 14, 2026

As impressive as Wembanyama's shot blocking is, his defensive impact goes well beyond the 5 stocks he recorded. Teams avoid the paint at an astounding rate when he's on the floor, and that was crucial against this Hornets team. The best and funniest example was when Grant Williams caught it in the paint, saw Wembanyama, and gave up completely as he lost the ball.

"They're dynamic with the basketball their hands so they can get to spots, but they want to get to the paint to get 3... a lot of people want the rim, and they still get there, but I think they also want to get to the paint to draw crowds and then spray out because they're so devastating from 3," Mitch Johnson said before the game. "The key to defending that limiting those paint touches."

58% of Charlotte's shot attempts came from beyond the arc, and their refusal to drive left them with just two free throw attempts. The Hornets managed just 30 points in the paint for the whole game, and only attempted two free throws in the first half. Johnson was quite pleased with his team's ability to limit that explosive offense.

"18 assists for them and 30 points in the paint are two numbers that on the surface feel good," he said. "Have to look back at the tape and really dive in, but we did a decent job there."

"When he's at his best, he's in a stance, and he's communicating, and connecting multiple pieces and multiple people at the same time," Johnson said of Wembanyama. "Typically that means, if we're doing what we're supposed to be doing, we're trying to take certain things away, and he's able to give resistance, and be in a spot where he's going to be able to really protect the rim."

As special as it is, this is all pretty standard fare for Wembanyama. A bit more outside the box was his playmaking. He drove and kicked to shooters, and on back-to-back possessions lobbed it up to Luke Kornet.

Keldon could not believe it 😭pic.twitter.com/xE8Hz93vjW https://t.co/R4Js7w94qe
— Silver & Black Coffee Hour (@SlvrBlkCoffeeHr) March 14, 2026

"It's a huge part of his growth, and I think he's really embraced that understanding how he can dominate the game and create advantages for others, whether that's screening, passing, spacing and the defense, at some point, has to commit to taking away something," Johnson said. "What that is, or what they do, it presents him with an opportunity, because he's so skilled and so dominant."

Speaking of playmaking, Stephon Castle has been on a tear lately and made a number of eye-popping passes in this one en route to 15 points, 10 assists and 7 boards. He drove and sprayed it out to teammates one-handed and ambidextrously. He was a game-high +22 in the box score.

OFF WITH HIS HEEEEEAAAAD pic.twitter.com/zDuxLtcZaS
— Silver & Black Coffee Hour (@SlvrBlkCoffeeHr) March 14, 2026

De'Aaron Fox added 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in the win, turning it on in the fourth quarter to put the Hornets away.

It was an MVP type of performance for Wembanyama, who has spoken about how much he wants to meet the 65-game minimum and be eligible for postseason awards.

"Victor has the longest list of things that he wants to do, probably the history of basketball, they all are important to me as well," Johnson said. "There's a lot that goes into that, and at times we have to make tough decisions, because on that long list, there are still things that we prioritize and put at the top of the list. But that guy, I think, is going to challenge us, as long as we're all here to continue to match that desire to keep checking those things off that list."

On this homestand the Spurs played six games in a row against a variety of playoff teams, and the only game they lost was a close one when Wembanyama sat out against Denver.

"I think it's been really, really good for us to go through these games and find out about other teams, find out about ourselves," Johnson said. "We've had to be in a lot of different types of games, whether it's a little bit open and having to cover a lot of distance defensively, matching some physicality in a lot of different ways, late game execution, you know, seeing different ways that people are artists, and all these experiences are hopefully lessons that we turn into knowledge and wisdom."

The Spurs are now 49-18 on the season, second in the West and 3 games behind the defending-champion Thunder.