![\"San](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775431756_62_GettyImages-2264258256_df1d10-e1772570080419.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
As the San Antonio Spurs having the best record since Feb 1, Victor Wembanyama was named Player of the Week amid his rapidly rising MVP odds.<\/p>\n
On Saturday afternoon, Victor Wembanyama<\/a> and the San Antonio Spurs<\/a> got just a small taste of what it\u2019s really like.<\/p>\n What the sights and sounds are really like.<\/p>\n What the intensity and pressure are really like.\u00a0<\/p>\n But only a taste.\u00a0<\/p>\n That was a young team getting a preview of playoff-esque basketball. The Spurs did relatively well even though they ultimately lost a thrilling overtime game.\u00a0<\/p>\n With the playoff race heating up and the regular season coming to a close, it is almost time for the real season to begin for San Antonio and several others.\u00a0<\/p>\n GettyMEMPHIS, TENNESSEE \u2013 JANUARY 06: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs. (Photo by Justin Ford\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Saturday\u2019s loss means Spurs fans will have to wait a little longer for the team to capture win No. 60, something that the franchise hasn\u2019t achieved in nearly a decade.\u00a0<\/p>\n San Antonio was close but ultimately fell thanks to an enormously clutch display by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic<\/a>. However, there is plenty for the West\u2019s No. 2 seed to take from this game. Heck, experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n Spurs have decided to place increased load on Victor Wembanyama<\/p>\n If there is one thing that arguably degraded Wembanyama\u2019s MVP case, it\u2019s that he has played fewer than 30 minutes per game. Yes, the voters often vote for those who are committing a heavy minute load every night.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Spurs, however, are more interested in managing the big man\u2019s minutes because, well, history screams that they absolutely have to.\u00a0<\/p>\n In NBA<\/a> history, there are many examples of freakishly tall players like Wembanyama. While arguably none of them possessed the God-given ability of the Spurs star, what\u2019s true is that almost none of them were able to avoid injury trouble.\u00a0<\/p>\n San Antonio has hit the jackpot this season in terms of figuring out how many minutes are suitable for Wembanyama. The 22-year-old Spurs star is averaging 29.4 minutes per game and has appeared in many more games this season than he did the last.\u00a0<\/p>\n But here\u2019s the kicker: the Spurs have a postseason to play, which means a new challenge \u2026 learning how to best manage Wembanyama over a grueling playoff run.\u00a0<\/p>\n Is coach Mitch Johnson aiming to continue doing what has been all season, which is to play Wembanyama roughly 29 minutes per game?\u00a0<\/p>\n No, in fact<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Johnson expressed when asked if he intends to play Wembanyama more minutes in the playoffs, according to San Antonio Express-News.<\/p>\n Wembanyama, meanwhile, spoke just like everyone has come to know him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m ready for anything,\u201d said Mr. Alien.\u00a0<\/p>\n The big games are almost here<\/p>\n Saturday\u2019s contest was a battle between two teams shouldering massive expectations over the next several weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n Both teams came in hot; the Spurs were riding an 11-game winning streak while the Nuggets<\/a> ripped off seven in a row. In the end, it boiled down to a pair of giants<\/a> playing tug-of-war. The experienced giant triumphed. The juvenile child watched and learned.\u00a0<\/p>\n While San Antonio technically remains hot on the Oklahoma City Thunder\u2019s heels for the No. 1 seed in the West (and the NBA), the loss to Denver likely makes the path much harder.\u00a0<\/p>\n Oklahoma City is at home tonight against the lottery-destined Utah Jazz<\/a>. Like the Spurs were getting easy-peasy games recently, the Thunder finally get one, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n But it is all about controlling the controllables.\u00a0<\/p>\n Wembanyama will have the entire world\u2019s eyes on him as he tries to do something virtually no star player ever has: lead his team to the title at 22 years old while being the lone All-Star.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAdel Ahmad<\/a> Adel is a writer with over five years of experience covering the NBA. His work has appeared on various media platforms, both national and local. More about Adel Ahmad<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Spurs\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty As the San Antonio Spurs having the best record since Feb 1, Victor Wembanyama was named Player…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":637420,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3797],"tags":[7,6,969,474,4075,4074,534],"class_list":{"0":"post-700424","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio-spurs","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-nba","10":"tag-san-antonio","11":"tag-san-antonio-spurs","12":"tag-sanantonio","13":"tag-sanantoniospurs","14":"tag-spurs"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116354708328944821","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=700424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700424\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/637420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=700424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=700424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=700424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775164890_GettyImages-2254994491.jpg\")
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