Victor Wembanyama-Giannis Antetokounmpo duel made for an instant highlight-reel classic
The Milwaukee Bucks headed south to San Antonio to take on the Spurs in Thursday night's NBA action. It was the second of two games between the teams this season and the first game against Milwaukee for Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama. Starting at center, he was tasked with protecting the rim against two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and often had to match up with one of the top players in the league.
He didn't disappoint.
The rookie had 27 points, nine rebounds, and a team-high five blocks - including a clutch block with less than 30 seconds to go in the game.
"OH IT'S KNOCKED AWAY BY WEMBANYAMA! KNOCKED AWAY BY WEMBANYAMA!" - Kevin Harlan on the call for Wemby rejecting Giannis at the rim pic.twitter.com/TjOOPohlmU
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 5, 2024
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A few plays earlier, he'd made another clutch block and drained a game-tying 26-foot jumper on the other end.
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The first matchup between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama was unbelievable...with this sequence being one of the many moments that'll stick with me. Unreal. pic.twitter.com/8dEfguRXdK— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) January 5, 2024
The Bucks ended up with a 125-121 victory over the Spurs, the worst team in the Western Conference. But Wembanyama's clutch performance, especially against one of the NBA's best in just his 29th career game, made for one of the highlights of the season already.
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Mid-way through the third quarter, Wembanyama caught Antetokounmpo with a backdoor cut to the rim for a two-handed dunk.
That's a 7'4 dude manipulating Giannis and cutting backdoor on him lmao pic.twitter.com/0D1AY8pze7
— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) January 5, 2024
Antetokounmpo still posted a game-high 44 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists. It's his fifth game of the season scoring more than 40 points and the most since his 64-point performance against the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 13.
A ridiculous sequence from Giannis and Wemby, with Kevin Harlan and Reggie Miller on the call for TNT. 🏀🎙️🔥 pic.twitter.com/0ZCrPOhDan
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 5, 2024
i love that giannis had bullied wemby a couple times and wemby met him full blast at the summit again and erased him
kid is tough— J. Kyle Mann (@jkylemann) January 5, 2024
After the game, Wembanyama appeared to not shake hands with Antetokounmpo after the close-fought battle. Unfortunately for basketball fans, Thursday was the last time the two players will meet in the regular season.
Wemby cut from the Jordan & Kobe cloth he didn’t even bother to shake hands with Giannis after the L, He really built for it. pic.twitter.com/dn25bkH22j
— 🎠 (@keesatx) January 5, 2024
Antetokounmpo and the Bucks continue their short Texas road trip with a game at Houston on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET. Wembanyama and the Spurs get a few days off before a two road games, starting with a Sunday afternoon matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tip-off for that one is 1 p.m. ET.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Wembanyama vs. Giannis highlights make for instant NBA classic