TORONTO, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- San Antonio Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama swatted away a career-best 10 blocks and added 27 points and 14 rebounds to record the first triple-double featuring blocks in over three years in a 122-99 win over Toronto Raptors on Monday.
Hawks big man Clint Capela accomplished this rare statistical feat on January 22, 2021 with 10 blocks, 13 points, and 19 rebounds. This was also the first time a rookie had accomplished this milestone in over 33 years, with Spurs legend David Robinson recording 24 points, 12 rebounds and 12 blocks on February 23, 1990.
The 20-year-old Frenchman, who was drafted No. 1 overall in the most recent NBA draft, has lived up to expectations so far, leading in eight out of nine statistical categories among rookies. Entering the game, he topped the list of all first-year players in points (20.4), rebounds (10.1), blocks (3.2) and steals (1.1).
Standing 2.24 meters tall, Wembanyama is leading the entire league in blocks and eclipsed his previous high of eight recorded on November 18 in a losing effort against the Grizzlies.
"I had to make that extra effort tonight because less and less people will go at me," said the rookie after the win.
Wembanyama raced out to a quick start, blocking the first Raptors shot attempt of the game and then scoring eight of the game's ten points to give Spurs a quick 10-0 lead. San Antonio never trailed, taking a 17-point lead into halftime and led by as much as 31 in the latter part of the third quarter.
"He did a little bit of everything. He's an all-around talented player," said Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich after the team's win.
Wembanyama also dished out five assists and nabbed two steals, nearly finishing with a rare five-by-five, a feat that has only been accomplished 21 times in NBA history.
This was the second-career triple-double for Wembanyama, who recorded a more common statline of 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in a victory over Pistons on January 10.
With the win, San Antonio snapped a seven game losing streak to improve to 11-43 on the season. The 23-point victory was their second biggest margin of victory this season. ■
