NBA: Wembanyama and the Spurs believed in the feat, the Hawks got by

So close, so far... After losing 35 points, the Spurs found color and bite during the second half. Doctor Jekyll and Mr. San Antonio. Enough to return to -6 in the “money-time” and dream of an exceptional comeback… in vain. Led by Trae Young (36 pts, 13 pds), the Hawks finally got the better of San Antonio (109-99) this Monday, in Atlanta. Voiceless in the first period, Victor Wembanyama had 26 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks. A monster in the last quarter, no one to prevent him from accessing the circle at leisure and dunking again and again. 23 points for his teammate Jeremy Sochan, one of those who allowed the Texans to reverse the trend during this completely crazy match. Note the performance of Jalen Johnson, eminently valuable for Atlanta with 16 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 interceptions.

Open door operation in the Spurs defense to begin, with an inaugural 11-0 for the locals. Under the leadership of their leader Trae Young, the Hawks were roaming around, dominating in all areas of the game. 35-16 after 12 minutes of play, and already 10 points for Young. “He’s a great player but it shouldn’t be this easy. We have to raise our voice defensively otherwise we will pay all evening,” railed Gregg Popovich on TNT. And his players continued to pay... Atlanta pushed its lead up to 33 twice to end the half with its biggest gap, 69-34 (35). 19 points for Young, zero for “Wemby”. Butcher's shop…

With an experimental five, without Wembanayma but with energy at all levels, the Spurs broke the momentum of the Hawks on the restart (73-48). Tight defense, seriousness, and even a little skill... Day and night. Invisible since the start of this third quarter, Trae Young found a way to score over Victor Wembanyama at the buzzer but the Texans won the third quarter 33-18. 87-67 with 12 minutes left.

Impossible mission ? In any case, “Wemby” no longer asked any questions. Devastating counter, goret dunk... The machine was launched. It took her time, but she was there. And San Antonio believed it, returning to -13 with 8'49 to play on a basket from Sochan (90-77). “Pop” recalled his French giant on the bench, still this restriction of minutes after his sprained right ankle. It did not break the momentum of the club with five NBA championship titles. Nor that of the former player from Nanterre, Asvel and Boulogne-Levallois, still dominant on both sides of the basket on his return, like this counter on Young without even jumping. Indecent... Alas, San Antonio, which returned to -6 (99-93), made small errors with big consequences. Enough to allow Atlanta to get by (109-99 final score). The time of regrets for the “spurs”, who only played half-time on this MLK Day.

It was the first match in a series of five trips for Gregg Popovich's men, still last in the West standings (7v-32d) and who have a meeting with Boston on Wednesday at TD Garden. Leaders in the League standings (30v-9d), Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the Celtics are still undefeated in their home arena since the start of the season (19v-0d). A real shock of extremes for Victor Wembanyama and company…