Losing the first two games of the season might have been somewhat unexpected, but it did not change the fact that the San Antonio Spurs, and Victor Wembanyama, were expected to be at least as good as last season. Well, they are starting to prove it.
Although the Sacramento Kings are not the most fearsome opponent, the Texans used the game to pick up their first home win of the 2026-27 NBA season and enjoy a ‘Wemby’ who spent the night constantly above the rim, equalling his record of nine dunks in a game.
The Frenchman finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 5 blocks on a truly comfortable night for his side; so much so that they were already 26 points up at half-time, leaving the second half as a mere formality on the way to a 130-103 win that moves them to 2-2. Here is how things unfolded at the Frost Bank Center.
And what about the idea of playing four small players alongside Wembanyama? It seems to be working. It is true that in the first games they slipped on rebounding compared with last season, as well as in defensive rating, but the mobility they are aiming for seems to be emerging.
Julian Champagnie, Wembanyama’s great support
Against the Kings they had as many as seven players in double figures, with the standout being the huge performance off the bench from Julian Champagnie, who racked up 26 points with a spectacular 8 of 12 from three.
At the start of the season it looked as though the forward would remain the starter at the open ‘four’ spot, but Mitch Johnson has opted to try other things while waiting for Tobias Harris to recover from injury and be able to play. That is when he will have to make decisions.
The Kings, winless
The ones confirming the bad feelings, and not in a good way, are the Sacramento Kings. The Californians have been suffering for a long time – apart from that year with Mike Brown – and this one does not look like being any different, even though Domantas Sabonis is keeping the faith, as he expresses on social media.
As for the numbers, the Lithuanian came close to a triple-double with 20 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists, while the top scorer for the California capital side was De’Andre Hunter with 24 points. They have a long way to go to be genuinely competitive.
(Photograph by IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)