“From now on, each meeting takes the form of a message”. This is what was stated in substance Victor Wembanyama a few days ago, while Chet Holmgren had just won a second trophy for best rookie of the month.
This night, the two favorites for the Rookie Of The Year trophy faced each other for the second time this season, and as in the first round, Chet Holmgren's Thunder emerged victorious. A victory of 26 points, after that of 36 points in mid-November.
“All the credit goes to Vic” replies Holmgren about the spotlights on their duel. “Obviously, he’s a great player, very, very, talented even though he’s just starting his career. But I can't let this duel take over our job, which is to win a basketball game. It's Thunder against the Spurs. »
Mark Daigneault very annoyed
This is exactly the response given by Mark Daigneault at the edge of the field, annoyed that we are only talking to him about this duel. “It’s Thunder against the Spurs” he blurted out before returning to his players. At a press conference, he will drive home the point: “It’s a team sport, not tennis!” »
Even though he admitted that he was still very motivated against Chet Holmgren, especially because he the defeat in the final of the U19 World Cup is still in my throat“Wemby” assures that he is focusing first on Spurs. “My number one goal is always to win, and that’s the case in a match like this. I don’t think about a duel, especially in defeat” he summarizes after having compiled 24 points and 12 rebounds, against 17 points and 9 rebounds for his direct opponent.
Same speech from Gregg Popovich, convinced that his young interior never makes it a personal story: “He played tonight, like he plays every other night. There was nothing personal about the way he played.”
