After his unreal season opener, Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs faced the New Orleans Pelicans and Zion Williamson. Right from the opening tip, Wembanyama took the challenge of guarding the Pelicans star, but on the first play of the game, Williamson threw down a monster dunk on him that sent the New Orleans crowd into a frenzy.
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However, the Spurs phenom responded by blocking Williamson four times in the next five minutes of the game.
Wembanyama did not have a crazy scoring display like he had against the Dallas Mavericks when he dropped 40 — he finished last night with 29 points on 13-for-23 from the field and was 0-for-3 from 3-point distance — but he finished one block short of a triple-double, leading the Spurs to a 120-116 overtime win to improve to 2-0 on the season.
Still, his performance left ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins in awe.
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“We all know Wemby is Box office, but he’s on a mission to WIN!!! The Spurs’ energy is Screaming Playoffs,” the retired center tweeted after the game.
The Spurs are favored to make the playoffs
Las Vegas oddsmakers predicted San Antonio to make the postseason for the first time since 2019. After finishing 13th in the Western Conference with a 34-48 record last season, they set the Spurs’ win total at 44.5, 10 more than they had in the previous campaign.
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With a 61.5 percent implied probability to make the playoffs, betting sites have high hopes for San Antonio.
The Spurs’ win over the Mavericks was their first opening win since 2019. The win against the Pelicans gave them two road wins, marking the second time in franchise history that they have opened the season 2-0 with two victories away from home. With those milestones, this San Antonio team could be the one to end their postseason drought.
Among MVP favorites
Right before the regular season began, Carmelo Anthony made a bold take about Wembanyama on his “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast. He predicted the 21-year-old Frenchman would win the MVP award this season by putting up video game numbers and leading his team to the postseason.
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“Wemby could lead every statistical category there is, and statistically, that’s MVP. If Wemby average 25-15. He can average five blocks. He could put up 12 assists. He could average six steals. Like he can do all this. These are video game numbers, and his team can make the playoffs,” Anthony said.
So far, Wembanyama is averaging 34.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 6.0 blocks per game. His assists and steals numbers may be way off Anthony’s prediction, but it’s worth noting that, in the two games played so far, the Spurs star has not committed a single turnover.
After their opening day win over the Mavericks, Wembanyama jumped to second in the MVP odds, behind only reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is seeking back-to-back Michael Jordan trophies.
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Gilgeous-Alexander is also off to a scintillating start, and so are his Oklahoma City Thunder. However, Wembanyama, being near the top of MVP odds and a sizable favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, speaks volumes about how good he has been this early into the 2025-26 NBA campaign.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 25, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.