NBA: driven by his title of “Rookie of the Month”, Victor Wembanyama was impressive in the defeat against Denver

Victor Wembanyama s’est encore illustré mardi en NBA, face à Denver. EPA – ADAM DAVIS

Victor Wembanyama a, encore une nouvelle fois, brillé cette nuit avec les San Antonio Spurs lors du revers face aux champions en titre, Denver (110-105).

The San Antonio Spurs, getting better and better at the end of the season when they were eliminated from the race for the play-offs, lost with honors to the champion Denver (110-105), carried by their Serbian pivot Nikola Jokic (42 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists), favorite to be named MVP for the 3rd time in his career.

S’he couldn’do nothing to stop the "Joker", Victor Wembanyama, named rookie of the month in the West in March for the 3rd consecutive time, continued his momentum with another full match, finished with 23 points, 15 rebounds, 8 assists and especially 9 blocks, one unit shy of his record in this category.

23 points, 15 rebonds, 8 passes, 9 contres : Victor Wembanyama a flirté avec le quadruple double contre Denver. Rappel : l’exploit n’a été réalisé que quatre fois dans toute l’histoire de la NBA et le dernier date de 1994 (David Robinson). pic.twitter.com/3iuwmDK9Du

— Maxime Dupuis (@maximedupuis) April 3, 2024

"This is the best thing I've seen this year"

The 20-year-old Frenchman distinguished himself in several actions. At the start of the match he notably scored an acrobatic lay-up against Jokic, a counter on the Serb, then an offensive rebound for two new points in a few seconds.

"The quality shown for 48 minutes impressed me, it’s the best I’ve seen this year&quot ;, coach Gregg Popovich noted of his young team.

Embiid returns

In the other matches of the night, the Philadelphia 76ers celebrated the return from injury of Cameroonian pivot Joel Embiid with a prestigious victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder (109-105), who are fighting for first place in the ;rsquo;West. Embiid, MVP in 2023, made a surprise return a little more than two months after injuring his knee (January 30).

Without Embiid, the Sixers have plunged in the standings, and are currently 8th, in a play-off position. With 24 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds, Embiid largely contributed to his team's victory with nearly 30 minutes of play which left him exhausted.

"Usually when I get injured I quickly move on. This injury (torn left meniscus) required a real mental effort", commented Embiid, who was cautious on the floor.

The Lakers in good shape

The Los Angeles Lakers signed a 7th victory in 8 matches on the floor of the Toronto Raptors (128-111), with 25 points from D’Angelo Russell and 23 points from LeBron James. The Lakers are gradually securing their place in the final phase. Currently 9th (43-33), they are putting pressure on Sacramento and Phoenix.

Behind them, the Golden State Warriors (10th in the last play-off place) are breathing thanks to their success over Dallas (104-100) combined with the defeat of Houston (11th), giving them a cushion of three matches.