Watch: Freaks of nature, Victor Wembanyama and Giannis Antetokounmpo use lanky frame for absurd B2B play
Thursday night’s game between the Milwaukee Bucks and San Antonio Spurs marked the first time Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama faced off. “Wemby” dealt with a sprained ankle in the first encounter between the two teams on Dec. 19. The Bucks comfortably ran away 132-119 without the No. 1 pick of the 2023 NBA draft.
With Wembanya healthy and Antetokounmpo playing the second night of a back-to-back set, the matchup finally happened. Frost Bank Center in San Antonio buzzed with excitement for tip-off as the rookie and the two-time MVP were expected to guard each other.
The two generational talents did not disappoint and showed fans what they came to see in the plays below (via NBA):
Giannis Antetokounmpo had the first highlight reel with his trademark barrelling drive to the basket. The "Greek Freak” easily handled the defense of Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan. Antetokounmpo forced his way into the paint, bumped Sochan, spun and went up for a dunk.
In the ensuing play, Victor Wembanyama showed off his mind-boggling skills as well. The Bucks tried to trap him in the perimeter with Antetokounmpo closely guarding him. Pat Connaughton tried to bottle him up but Cedi Osman slipped to a corner, prompting Connaughton to slide.
Meanwhile, Wembanyama was still 15 feet away from the basket. The 7-foot-4 forward smoothly caromed the ball off the backcourt before slamming it home for an alley-oop dunk.
Fans were riveted to the action, particularly when one of the two stars had the ball. They are expecting many more highlight reels between the two of them.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks take half-time lead against Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs
After the first 24 minutes of the game, the Milwaukee Bucks took a 64-59 lead at half-time. Giannis Antetokounmpo already had 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and one block. He was 7-of-12 and was nearly unstoppable.
Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton combined for 18 points, 12 assists and five rebounds. Only Antetokounmpo and Middleton have reached double figures in scoring.
Victor Wembanyama had eight points, five rebounds and one block. “Wemby” is 3-of-7 and missed all of his four 3-point attempts. He hasn’t been playing particularly well but the Spurs are gamely keeping it close against the Bucks’ star-studded roster.
Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan combined for 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. They need to sustain their start for the San Antonio Spurs to have a chance of beating the Milwaukee Bucks.
Fans came to see a spectacular showdown between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama. Both are delivering, but their teams have also gotten significant contributions from the rest of the roster.