Victor Wembanyama dropped 41 points and 18 rebounds Wednesday night in San Antonio’s 127-113 dismantling of the Golden State Warriors, extending the Spurs’ winning streak to 10 games. With 6 games remaining in the regular season, the 22-year-old center has turned his MVP candidacy from a long shot to a legitimate contender.
Wembanyama’s performance at Chase Center didn’t just add another dominant line to an already stellar campaign; it landed him alongside the greatest players in franchise history.
Victor Wembanyama Surpasses Tim Duncan and David Robinson
The victory marked Wembanyama’s 5th consecutive game with at least 15 rebounds, the longest such streak by a Spurs player since Dennis Rodman achieved it in 1995. That run eclipses the career-best 4-game streaks posted by both Tim Duncan and David Robinson, two of the greatest big men the franchise has ever employed.
“Wow,” Wembanyama said when informed of the accomplishment. “I watched a lot of highlights [of Rodman], mostly on the Bulls than anything else. They don’t make them like [him] anymore.”
The Spurs are 26-2 over their past 28 games, and Wembanyama has been central to the surge. During his 15-game personal winning streak, he’s averaged 27.9 points and 12.3 rebounds while shooting with ruthless efficiency. Against Golden State, he went 16-for-22 from the floor, recorded 3 blocks, and committed 0 turnovers in just 29 minutes.
Wembanyama has been unambiguous about his MVP aspirations. After the win, he told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt exactly where he stands.
“I do care deeply about it,” Wembanyama said. “I think that of the greats that are in the Hall of Fame, or the best of all time, they have fought and grabbed everything they could grab early on in their career. If I want to make my spot among the greats, I got to try to not miss any occasion to put my name up there.”
The race remains tight. The Thunder sit at 60-16, 2 games ahead of San Antonio’s 58-18 mark, though the Spurs own the tiebreaker with a 4-1 head-to-head record.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, last year’s MVP and the current betting favorite, is putting together his own closing surge. Oklahoma City has won 15 of 16, and Gilgeous-Alexander has topped 40 points 3 times in the past two weeks.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who watched Wembanyama torch his depleted roster from the opening tip, offered a blunt assessment.
“He’s got unbelievable confidence now,” Kerr said. “He looks like he knows exactly what to do on both ends. His first couple years, he looked young at times. He doesn’t look young anymore. Dominated the glass. Several lobs where it looked like a Nerf hoop.”
