Victor Wembanyama makes his second career visit to California’s capital, in search of his first win there, when the San Antonio Spurs take on the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night.
The Spurs played twice at Sacramento last season, but Wembanyama performed just once before the Kings’ fans. He had 19 points, 13 rebounds, five steals and five blocks in his Sacramento debut last February, a game the Kings won 127-122. He sat out the other game with a sprained ankle.
The Kings swept the three-game series last season, but Wembanyama broke into the win column against the Western Conference rivals with 34 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks in a 116-96 thumping in San Antonio on Nov. 11.
This matchup opens a two-game trip for the Spurs, who could be excused for looking ahead to Tuesday’s NBA Cup contest at Phoenix. San Antonio will enter that round-robin finale in a three-way tie atop the West Group B with the Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Spurs saw a four-game winning streak come to an end Wednesday in a 119-101 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Wembanyama had 20 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in the defeat.
Th club found a silver lining in the blowout with Devin Vassell having returned from a five-game absence due to a knee injury to contribute 14 points off the bench in 21 minutes.
“(It) feels good to have him back,” Wembanyama said. “He opens up our floor. He’s a great offensive player. I’m still looking forward to expanding our game even more once he gets all his minutes back.”
Vassell contributed 12 points and four assists off the bench to the earlier win over the Kings.
Wembanyama got plenty of support during the team’s recent winning streak from rookie Stephon Castle, who averaged 17.5 points and 5.5 rebounds during the run.
Sacramento has featured a different look of its own the last two games, with Jae Crowder having not only joined the team but been stuck right in the starting lineup.
The 13-year veteran, signed as a free agent, made his season debut with eight points and four rebounds in 27 minutes in a 115-104 win at Minnesota on Wednesday. He then had 10 points and two rebounds in Friday’s 115-106 loss at Portland, the Kings’ fifth defeat in their last six games.
Kings coach Mike Brown was not surprised to see Crowder make an immediate impact despite having played just a total of 68 games the previous two seasons.
“Jae has been around a long time,” Brown cited. “He’s been in the playoffs 11 straight years, so he knows what it takes to win. He isn’t going to back down.”
Crowder has yet to play alongside DeMar DeRozan, who has missed Sacramento’s last two games with a sore back. He remains questionable for Sunday’s game against his former team.
Domantas Sabonis had his fourth triple-double of the season in Friday’s loss at Portland, putting up 21 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. He logged 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in Wembanyama’s lone visit to Sacramento last season.
–Field Level Media