San Antonio Spurs Star Sends Clear Message to Victor Wembanyama After Game 2 Collapse

De’Aaron Fox believes that Victor Wembanyama can bounce back in Game 3 after the San Antonio Spurs center essentially cost them Game 2 on Friday evening.

Wembanyama finished with a game-high 29 points, nine rebounds, two steals, and four blocks on 11-for-21 shooting from the field in 40 minutes. However, his late turnover and missed game-winning attempt overshadowed his production for the San Antonio Spurs.

“Those things happen. There were a lot of things that led up to that point that we could have avoided. Even after that, that was before Vic’s last shot, and we still gave ourselves a chance to win. I don’t know if we would say we deserved to win that game, but we were in that game, and we had a chance,” Fox said via the San Antonio Express-News.

“We came in, we were like, we need you to be aggressive. That is what it is. He came out in the second half and was much better for us… Whenever he’s aggressive, we’re at our best,” he added. “(His game-winning attempt) was a great shot. Catch-and-shoot shot right off the elbow. He makes that shot nine times out of 10. I think we had a great possession.”

San Antonio Spurs News: Victor Wembanyama rues costly turnover in Game 2 vs. New York Knicks

The San Antonio Spurs had an opportunity to push for the winning basket after a defensive stop on Jalen Brunson. But Victor Wembanyama turned the ball over in the succeeding possession, as Stephon Castle turned his head away from the play when the ball was going his direction. It was definitely a gut punch for the team.

“That’s the most frustrating thing, to throw it away after putting in all of this work,” Wembanyama lamented. “I think I could’ve been better in recovering from the high of the conference finals, but here we are. We can’t change the past now. We’re already focused on Game 3.” 

“Yeah, of course I liked the (last) shot. But I feel like in this moment, you need to shoot to score. In moments like this, results matter more than process. We need to score. I need to score. That’s the whole point,” he continued.