Victor Wembanyama logs triple-double with blocks in Spurs win،
TORONTO — Victor Wembanyama records his second triple-double – and his first with blocks.
The San Antonio Spurs rookie blocked a shot from Toronto Raptors' Gradey Dick with 6:32 left in the fourth quarter of Monday night's 122-99 victory, giving him the NBA's first triple-double with blocked shots in one of the categories in addition more than three years.
Wembanyama had 27 points, 14 rebounds, 10 blocks and 5 assists, all in just 29 minutes. He is the first player with 10 blocks and 5 assists in less than 30 minutes played, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
“I felt good today,” Wembanyama said. “Good pace, started the game strong. I guess it's just the NBA, you know. We've had our ups and downs in terms of form, and today was a positive day .”
Wembanyama leads the league in blocked shots and after Monday's game, he was the first rookie with 150 blocks, 150 assists and 50 steals in a season since Tim Duncan in 1997-98. There are 28 games remaining in the Spurs season.
“He did a little bit of everything,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of his star rookie's performance. “He's obviously a versatile and talented player. He has great feel for the game and it shows in a variety of ways, whether it's passing or decision-making, blocking shots.”
It was the first blocked triple-double since Clint Capela had 13 points, 19 rebounds and 10 blocks for the Atlanta Hawks against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 22, 2021. It was also the last time someone in the NBA blocked 10 shots. in a game.
Hakeem Olajuwon has the most triple-doubles of this type – with blocks – since this statistic began to be officially recorded in the NBA. He did it 11 times, one more than Dikembe Mutombo and two more than Spurs Hall of Famer David Robinson.
Robinson had nine such triple-doubles, including one quadruple-double. The only other Spurs player to record a triple-double with blocks was Artis Gilmore, his only one coming in the 1984-85 season.
“Wembanyama is the player who is going to play in this league for the next 15 years. We have to figure out how to attack and how to play against him,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “He's definitely a unique player with his size and ability to block shots. We need to do a much better job of figuring out how to play against that.”
Wembanyama was the No. 1 pick in last year's NBA draft. He will travel to his first All-Star Weekend later this week in Indianapolis, and is expected to participate in the Rising Stars game Friday night and the skills challenge Saturday night.
Wembanyama recorded his other triple-double against the Detroit Pistons on January 10, when he had 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists – but no blocks.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
