Victor Wembanyama will play in his second Christmas Day game of his career on Thursday when the San Antonio Spurs travel to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Both teams previously played against each other in the NBA Cup semifinal game as the Spurs handed the Thunder their second loss of the season.
NBA Hall of Famer and champion Paul Pierce is excited to see Wembanyama take on the defending champs on Christmas.
“I think Wemby will come out and give us a performance that we will be talking about for a long time,” Pierce said on his Ticket & The Truth podcast with Kevin Garnett.
“This is the type of match up and then the type of stars in this game can be a coming out party, this can be a game we talk about for a long time.”
Victor Wembanyama Will Look to Lead His Team to Another Victory Over OKC
GettyVictor Wembanyama had 22 points and nine rebounds against the Thunder in the NBA Cup semifinals.
The Spurs and Thunder are two of the top teams not just in the Western Conference, but in the league.
These two teams saw each other less than two weeks ago as the Spurs won a close one 111-109 to advance to the NBA Cup finals.
The Thunder will look to seek revenge on Christmas Day, but Wembanyama will do all he can to help his team secure another victory against the Thunder. That semifinal game against the Thunder was Wembanyama’s first game back after missing the previous 12 games due to an injury .
He came off the bench and had 22 points, nine rebounds, and two assists in 21 minutes of action. The Spurs did a good job of playing team basketball during Wembanyam’s absence. During that 12-game stretch, San Antonio went 9-3 without their superstar.
This young team is showing why they are one of the top teams in the league and having a star like Wembanyama, makes everything that much better.
On the season, Wembanyama is averaging 24.4 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists through 16 games. This match up between the Spurs and Thunder is turning into a rivalry featuring a plethora of talented young stars.
Victor Wembanyama’s First Christmas Game Was Historic
Last year, Wembanyama made his Christmas debut at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks and he did not disappoint.
Though the Spurs lost 117-114, Wembanyama scored a game-high 42 points, which was the most scored by a visitor at the Garden on Christmas. He also added 18 rebounds, four assists, and four blocks.
He became just the third player in NBA history to score 40-plus points with 15-plus rebounds in a Christmas game. The other two players were Wilt Chamberlain and Nikola Jokic.
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson was impressed with Wembanyama’s Christmas debut.
“He did a good job of imposing his will, leaving his imprint on the game,” Johnson told ESPN . “Strong catches, finishes and drives to the rim. Obviously, he made some shots, did a good job defensively. I thought we were connected as a team and sometimes that allowed his individual skill set on that end to shine through.”
Wemabyama will have another opportunity to put together another remarkable performance on Christmas. The Spurs and Thunder will tip off at 2:30 p.m. EST on ABC.
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