Closing time: Victor Wembanyama’s late-game defense is the Spurs’ not-so-secret sauce

After Victor Wembanyama hit 3-pointer No. 8 in San Antonio’s home win against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night (sorry, Jaylen Brown), he was subbed out for backup Luke Kornet.

When Wembanyama returned to the floor, his priorities had changed. Instead of seeking more shots, the 7-foot-5 center erased those launched by the Celtics, and if he didn’t reach them, he changed them.

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This has been a staple recipe for the Spurs this season. When they find themselves in crunch time, they dial up their defense and become far more deliberate in their actions.

It’s working.

They’re 16-1 over their past 17 games, which feature wins over the aforementioned Celtics, Pistons (twice), Rockets, Clippers, Thunder, Raptors and Lakers.

They came back from a 25-point deficit against the Clippers on Friday and somehow pulled off the win.

This isn’t some luck of the draw or some random occurrence. This team is closing games consistently and does so against all caliber of teams. There’s a level of cohesion present not seen on any other NBA team this season.

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Wembanyama has repeatedly spoken of trust. How they all have bought in. How they all respect, support and trust each other to make plays. It’s becoming more and more evident by the day how true that is. The ball is popping, and even players who are new to the rotation, such as Carter Bryant — a rookie — is being trusted to take and make late-game shots.

Of course, this doesn’t happen without Wembanyama.

Over his past six games, the 22-year-old MVP candidate is averaging 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 4.2 blocks in just 31 minutes of play. You’d think the nearly point-per-minute average was his most intoxicating trait, yet it’s secondary to his defense, which is Earth-shattering.

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The Celtics hit just 37.5% of their shots in the fourth quarter last night. The Rockets 34.6% the game before, the Clippers 42.1% and the Pistons 36.8% in the final stanza. That’s an outrageously effective level of defense in the final frame of games, and the Spurs are pulling this off consistently.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/closing-time-victor-wembanyamas-late-game-defense-is-the-spurs-not-so-secret-sauce-170801176.html

Author : Morten Stig Jensen

Publish date : 2026-03-11 17:08:00

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