His words have (almost?) warning value. After the inaugural defeat of the Spurs at the Mavericks as an appetizer, Thursday evening, (120-109), Victor Wembanyama ordered his troops to react quickly, without drawing hasty conclusions. Under the eyes of Adam Silver, the Spurs were in contact with the last NBA finalists for a long time in the heart of a tasteless and offensively unprolific first half (47-49), thanks to good Julian Champagnie and Jeremy Sochan.
On the Mavs side, Luka Doncic, the Slovenian magician, also created an illusion. Making everyone believe that he was going to perform a bad magic trick for his reunion with the public at the American Airlines Center. Very clumsy in the first half, the native of Ljubljana ended up hitting the mark with several big 3-point shots. Sometimes hampered by rookie Stephon Castle in defense, the former Real Madrid maestro allowed Klay Thompson, also in tune with 22 points at 7/13 on shots, to start his adventure in Dallas in the best possible way.
Under pressure from the Dončić – Thompson pair, Gregg Popovich's men were left behind in the first five minutes of the 3rd quarter, with a crippling 22-6. “This is what’s killing us”estimates Victor Wembanyama, specifying however that this first full-scale rehearsal is “promised[se] » and that “no one is worried”.
What to remember
Wembanyama suffered physically. Not yet at the peak of his strength and lacking rhythm, the native of Chesnay (Yvelines) struggled and sinned physically. Nearly three months after his competitive match against the United States in the Olympic final (87-98 defeat), he fought under the baskets, stole a few rebounds here and there, without finding the right rhythm in attack (17 points 5/18 on shots). “Our physical condition was not really optimal because no one had yet played a full preparation match”underlines Wemby, recalling that this lack of rhythm is not “not an excuse”.
The same “demons”. “On certain tactical points, we have more certainty but we must manage to overcome our demons [de la saison dernière] »sighed Wembanyama at a press conference. The Frenchman is well aware of the workload that awaits his Spurs if they hope to be in the race for the playoffs for as long as possible.
A record for Thompson. Author of a very good debut alongside Luka Doncic, Klay Thompson has already set a franchise record with his 6 out of 10 at 3-points. It's obviously anecdotal, and it made him laugh during the post-match interview, but never had a player scored so many 3-pointers for his first with the Mavericks.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
From our special correspondent in Dallas (United States).
