Victor Wembanyama crucified himself.
The French basketball star scored 29 points, but his San Antonio Spurs team lost 104:105 to the New York Knicks.
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The latter, having won their second game in San Antonio, lead the NBA Finals series 2-0 in a best-of-seven.
It seemed that everything could have been different, as the hosts led by 14 points in the fourth quarter. Everything was still in their hands when, with 15 seconds left in the second game, the Spurs rebounded the ball after a missed shot by Jalen Brunson, and the score was tied (104:104).
However, Wembanyama, who rebounded the ball, made a mistake, deciding to pass the ball to Stephon Castle, who was running ahead with his back turned, not expecting the pass.
“I messed up that possession. I messed everything up,” Wembanyama admitted after the game. “We didn’t play as a team. We should have won that game. It was ours. But now it’s over.”
Brunson grabbed the ball with 9.5 seconds left, provoked a foul from the 224 cm tall Frenchman, and scored the final point of the game with a free throw.
Wembanyama could still have saved it, but his shot over Mitchell Robinson hit the rim.
The 22-year-old Frenchman was frustrated but hoped to bounce back.
“Will I regret it? Yes, of course,” said the Spurs center. “Will I use it as motivation for myself, as motivation for all of us in the next game? Absolutely.”
The Spurs are now down 0-2, despite looking so powerful after defeating the regular season winners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in the Western Conference Finals.
“We shouldn’t overthink things when they’re going well, and we shouldn’t overthink them when they’re going badly. I personally think we could have recovered better after the euphoria of the conference finals,” Wembanyama said.
The 2023 first overall NBA pick looked ahead to the third game, which will take place in New York from Monday to Tuesday.
“We are here. We cannot change the past. We are already focusing on the third match,” Wembanyama stated.
The Knicks, who will play their next two games in New York, achieved their thirteenth consecutive victory.
“What a game,” sighed a happy Knicks coach Mike Brown after the match.
Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, was pleased with the visiting fans.
“New York showed up,” the center said. “The fans showed up. The energy was there. We found a way to go all the way.”
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