SAN ANTONIO – A year after a frightening health scare derailed Victor Wembanyama’s season, the San Antonio Spurs are back in Austin with one of the NBA’s best records and momentum building.
When the Spurs were in Austin last year, they learned Wembanyama had a blood clot and that he was done for the season, effectively ending San Antonio’s hopes. Now, 365 days later, the Spurs arrived in Austin this afternoon as the second-best team in the Western Conference, sitting three games behind Oklahoma City.
Wembanyama is coming off a 33-point, eight-rebound performance in the All-Star Game, and the Spurs will resume play Friday night carrying a six-game winning streak.
The turnaround has been dramatic since last year’s scare, and coach Mitch Johnson said it may have had a silver lining.
Austin fans have continued to show excitement when the Spurs come to town, even as the team struggled in recent seasons. This year, the Spurs have been one of the NBA’s biggest surprises, and Keldon Johnson acknowledged they may have surprised themselves, but the team is not planning to let up.
San Antonio is set to face Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns on Friday night in Austin, with the Spurs going for their seventh straight win.
The Spurs will then play Sacramento on Saturday in Austin. The Kings have lost 14 straight and have also lost Domantas Sabonis for the rest of the season.