Spurs exclude Victor Wembanyama (ankle) from matchup with Clippers
LOS ANGELES — San Antonio Spurs standout Victor Wembanyama will not participate in Thursday night’s game against the LA Clippers due to management of a right ankle injury.
This matchup with the Clippers occurs on the second night of a back-to-back for San Antonio, which secured a victory over the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco on Wednesday. The French player accumulated 41 points and 18 rebounds in just 29 minutes during that contest.
Earlier on Thursday, the 22-year-old Wembanyama was honored as the Western Conference Defensive Player of the Month for March, marking the third consecutive month he has received this accolade. Over 15 games in March, Wembanyama recorded 180 rebounds, an NBA-leading 56 blocks, and 20 steals. His average of 3.73 blocks per game topped the league, and he also achieved 1.33 steals per game. Furthermore, Wembanyama had 10 games with four or more blocks and six games with two or more steals.
For the season, Wembanyama is averaging 24.7 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.1 blocks, and 1.1 steals in 29.2 minutes. His averages for blocks and rebounds rank first and fifth in the league, respectively.
As a leading candidate for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year and a participant in the competitive MVP race, Wembanyama must appear in at least four of San Antonio’s final five games after Thursday to meet the 65-game requirement for postseason awards eligibility.
