Victor Wembanyama delivered a spectacular performance in the NBA season opener, scoring 40 points and grabbing 15 rebounds to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 125-92 rout of the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas on Wednesday night. The French centre, playing his first regular-season game since undergoing surgery for deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder, also had three blocks as the Spurs dominated the paint, outscoring the Mavericks 68-26 in that area.
Cooper Flagg, the No 1 overall pick in this year's draft, endured a challenging debut for the Mavericks. The 18-year-old finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 4 of 13 from the field and committing three turnovers. He did not attempt a shot in the final 22 minutes of the first half after starting with a pair of attempts, including a near-dunk on an alley-oop pass from Anthony Davis that rimmed out. Asked to assess his performance, Flagg was blunt: 'Not great.'
Wembanyama, who had been sidelined for eight months, was assertive from the start. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said: 'I think we all knew he was going to be assertive. He's been out eight months. He's been waiting for this probably longer and more thorough than anybody else. You saw him take the moment and play spectacular.' The 7ft 4in Wembanyama repeatedly attacked Davis, a five-time NBA All-Defensive Team member, and had seven dunks as part of San Antonio's 12.
Flagg, who started at point guard in the absence of Kyrie Irving, acknowledged the challenge of facing Wembanyama. 'He's incredible,' Flagg said. 'He's a different player. You can't know what it's like until you're on the court with him. It's something I've never seen before.' Davis, who joined the Mavericks in a trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Lakers, noted Flagg's jitters. 'It's first-game jitters when it's time for the real thing,' said Davis, who has 13 years of NBA experience.
Flagg, the second-youngest player to start in his debut, remains focused on the next game. 'Obviously, it hurts, the first loss being like that. Try to look forward to the next one, turn the page and get ready,' he said, adding that the team knows it can perform better. Wembanyama, meanwhile, acknowledged the significance of the night but stressed it is only the beginning. 'We needed to make a statement in the locker room. I feel like I needed to make a statement to my teammates,' he said. 'It's also just the beginning because there's so much more I want to add to my game.'
