SAN FRANCISCO — After erupting for 41 points and grabbing 18 rebounds in Wednesday night’s runaway win, Victor Wembanyama said the MVP remains a clear objective.
“I do care deeply about it,” Wembanyama told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt. He added that the game’s greats fought for every honor early in their careers and that he intends to take every chance to put his name among them.
The Spurs rolled past a shorthanded Golden State team, building a double-digit lead within three minutes and closing out a 127-113 victory. San Antonio has now won 10 straight games and is 15-0 in games Wembanyama has played this season. Over that span he is averaging 27.9 points and 12.3 rebounds.
Wembanyama has recorded five consecutive games with at least 15 rebounds — the longest run by a Spurs player since Dennis Rodman in 1995, eclipsing four-game streaks by Tim Duncan and David Robinson. “Wow,” Wembanyama said of the Rodman comparison, noting he watched a lot of Rodman highlights and quipping that “they don’t make them like him anymore.”
San Antonio has gone 26-2 in its past 28 contests, tightening the race with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the top seed. The Thunder hold a two-game edge with six games remaining, but the Spurs own the tiebreaker after a 4-1 head-to-head advantage.
Oklahoma City and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have also surged late: the Thunder have won 15 of 16 and Gilgeous-Alexander has produced three 40-point outings in the last two weeks.
Even if the MVP vote doesn’t land Wembanyama, he is widely viewed as a near-lock for Defensive Player of the Year. Warriors coach Steve Kerr called him “obviously the best defensive player in the league” before the game, and after he praised Wembanyama’s growth: “He’s got unbelievable confidence now. He looks like he knows exactly what to do on both ends… Dominated the glass. Several lobs where it looked like a Nerf hoop. He’s brilliant.”
