Victor Wembanyama (22 years, 134 days) passes Lew Alcindor (22 years, 352 days) as the youngest player with 40 points and 20 rebounds in a playoff game😲
Getty
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs during Game 3 of their second-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the Western Conference Finals undefeated in the playoffs, sweeping the first two rounds without losing a single game. But then they met Victor Wembanyama, and everything changed.
In an overtime thriller at the Paycom Center, the San Antonio Spurs won 122-115 over the Thunder to grab a 1-0 lead. The game went into double overtime and, by the time it was finished, Wembanyama had done what no other player his age had ever done in a playoff game.
GettyVictor Wembanyama Delivers Legendary 41-Point Performance to Shock Thunder in Game 1
According to ESPN Research, at just 22 years and 134 days old, Wembanyama became the youngest player in NBA history to post 40 points and 20 rebounds in a playoff game, passing Lew Alcindor better known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was 22 years and 352 days when he did it. He also became just the seventh player ever to record a 40-20 in a Conference Finals or later.
Victor Wembanyama (22 years, 134 days) passes Lew Alcindor (22 years, 352 days) as the youngest player with 40 points and 20 rebounds in a playoff game😲
Wembanyama played 49 minutes, the most of his career, and finished with 41 points, 24 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks. He shot 14-of-25 from the field and 12-of-13 from the free throw line. For most of the night, San Antonio controlled the game, outrebounding OKC 61-40 and scoring 52 points in the paint to Oklahoma City’s 38.
The decisive moment happened during the last minute of the first overtime. The Thunder had made it a three-point game through a 7-0 rally, and San Antonio really needed a score. Wembanyama stopped at around 27 feet, near the center logo, and hit a three-pointer to level the game at 108 with 26.3 seconds remaining. The shot reminded one of the legendary Stephen Curry’s three-pointer on that very court in 2016.
After heading to a second overtime still at 108, Wembanyama took over completely. He opened the period with a dunk, kept OKC at arm’s length, and iced it with an and-1 slam over Chet Holmgren in the final minute.
GettyVictor Wembanyama Joins Elite NBA Company After Historic Game 1 vs Thunder
Wembanyama wasn’t the only one. Rookie Dylan Harper, who came off the bench, looked amazing and scored 24 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out 6 assists, and got 7 steals whilst ending up a plus-14. He went at the basket constantly throughout the game, getting fouled and scoring the tough way in those crucial moments.
Stephon Castle made a significant contribution with 17 points along with 11 assists, whereas Keldon Johnson scored 13 points coming off the bench.
Conversely, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was off his game and only managed to score 24 points on 7-of-23 shooting. Alex Caruso scored 31 points for the Thunder with eight three-pointers, and Jalen Williams made 26.
Teams winning a Game 1 in the Conference Finals actually go on to win the entire series 78.2 percent of times. San Antonio holds that advantage now, a 22-year-old has just broken a record that had been standing for more than 50 years, and the Thunder have come across a great dilemma at the moment of going into Game 2.
Jayesh Pagar Jayesh Pagar is a writer at Heavy Sports, covering the New York Knicks and other NBA teams. He brings four years of experience across digital sports media, including NBA, WNBA, college basketball, and college football. He covered as the Knicks beat writer for ONSI and has written for PFSN, Sporting News, and ClutchPoints. More about Jayesh Pagar
此内容由惯性聚合(RSS阅读器)自动聚合整理，仅供阅读参考。 原文来自 — 版权归原作者所有。