Wembanyama’s late blocks help Spurs survive Heat for 5–0 start

Victor Wembanyama stuffed the container people and the moment. He enactment up 26 points, 18 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks arsenic San Antonio bushed Miami 107–101 to unfastened the club’s 50th NBA play with the archetypal 5–0 commencement successful franchise history. “It feels great,” helium said. “It’s not random… we worked for it.” The Spurs cooled a Heat squad that arrived averaging 131.5 points, holding them to a play debased and lone 14 successful the third. The nighttime inactive swung late. A 15-point Spurs cushion vanished during a 17–1 Miami tally driven by Bam Adebayo, who had 31. San Antonio steadied and Wembanyama sealed it with 3 fourth-quarter blocks, past roared aft a halt with 14.9 seconds left: “It’s similar the exclamation point… I was conscionable arrogant of being a Spur astatine that moment.”

Numbers that echo franchise legends

This was Wembanyama’s 3rd vocation crippled with astatine slightest 25-15-5-5, trailing lone David Robinson (eight) and Tim Duncan (six) successful Spurs history. Through 5 games helium is averaging 30.2 points, 14.6 rebounds and 4.8 blocks, making him the 2nd subordinate since 1973–74 to mean astatine slightest 30-14-4 successful the opening five, alongside Bob McAdoo. The supporting formed carried value too. Stephon Castle posted 21 points, 6 boards, 8 assists and 4 steals, portion Devin Vassell added 17 and 2 timely threes. “Honestly, bushed of losing,” Vassell said. “The small details… assistance america triumph games, and that’s what happened tonight.”

Grit, gait and a increasing identity

San Antonio has been forced to adjacent choky games each week, a utile accent trial aft a blowout opening triumph implicit Dallas. “When we play against Miami, it’s going to beryllium a pugnacious crippled nary substance what,” Castle said. Head manager Mitch Johnson highlighted Wembanyama’s endurance successful a bruising, up-tempo matchup. “For him to play 40 minutes astatine that level of consistency and ratio was precise impressive,” Johnson said. Postgame, Wembanyama gathered teammates and led a “go Spurs go” chant, a tiny country that matched the result: a young squad learning to finish.