Victor Wembanyama’s defensive masterpiece leaves one rival questioning everything

Victor Wembanyama’s defensive masterpiece leaves one rival questioning everything originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Victor Wembanyama delivered a magnificent Game 1 performance for the San Antonio Spurs in their second-round matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but his standout effort ultimately came in a narrow 104-102 loss to the  Timberwolves.

Following the game, Timberwolves star Rudy Gobert couldn’t resist a lighthearted dig when asked about Wembanyama’s shot-blocking display.

"He fouled me on the first one,” the four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year said in his post-game interview. “But if you look at them, probably three or four. I wish I had that type of treatment too."

In the loss to the Timberwolves, Wembanyama made history by recording 12 blocks, breaking the previous play-by-play era record of 10, which had been shared by Mark Eaton, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Andrew Bynum. However, Minnesota found a way to pull out the win due to a strong return from and a late-game push that erased ’s lead.