San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama left Wednesday’s 134-132 win over the New York Knicks with a slight hyperextension in his left knee. Initial tests came back negative and ruled out a major injury, according to ESPN.
Webanyama jumped for a rebound and landed awkwardly with 10:32 left in the fourth quarter. His left foot moved forward as he approached the ground, which caused his knee to bend inward. He fell to the floor and grabbed his knee in pain, and after he returned to his feet, he limped off the court and into the locker room for examination.
While he returned to the bench after a short stay in the locker room, the Spurs determined Wembanyama’s night over after 24 minutes of action. He scored 31 points and racked up 13 rebounds before his premature exit.
“Have not been able to talk to the medical staff yet, but I saw what everybody else saw,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said postgame. “There’s a visual there, but obviously he finished the game on the bench with his teammates, so that made me feel good. I have no idea what to say, but it was good to see him walk back out and be able to finish the game on the bench with his teammates.”
Wembanyama said he expects to be back for the Spurs’ next game, a Friday road contest versus the Indiana Pacers.
“Feeling good, just sore,” Wembanyama said. “I was ‘this’ close to coming back in the game. They had to hold me back.”
The Spurs trailed the Knicks, 102-96, when Wembanyama left the game but rallied to eliminate the deficit as part of a 71-point second half. Both teams entered the day in second place in their respective conferences, and the contest was a critical one as they remain locked in chases with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Detroit Pistons for the top spots.
Wembanyama, a reigning All-Star and former Rookie of the Year, has been instrumental in the Spurs’ rise toward the top of the Western Conference this season. He averaged 24 points per game over the first 20 games of the year and is on pace to average a double-double for the third consecutive season to open his career. He has become an even more potent offensive weapon this season with a career-high 51.4% shooting clip.
Wembanyama’s injury is reminiscent of the one Nikola Jokić sustained on Monday. The Denver Nuggets superstar was diagnosed with a hyperextended knee — which will sideline him for at least four weeks — after he also had his leg bend awkwardly in the middle of game action.
The Spurs already spent a month this season without Wembanyama due to a separate injury. The third-year star sustained a calf strain against the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 14 and did not return until Dec. 13 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He eased back into the lineup, coming off the bench for six games before returning to the starting five on Dec. 27. Wednesday’s contest was just his third start since the calf injury.