Victor Wembanyama suffered a hyperextended knee in the team’s Dec. 31 game against the Knicks, but avoided major injury.
SAN ANTONIO — When the Spurs battle for a potential third win in the last four games on Tuesday night, they might still be doing so without the services of All-Star Victor Wembanyama.
Wemby, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Sunday, has missed the team’s last two games after hyperextending his knee late in a New Year’s Eve win over the Knicks. The team avoided a blow when an MRI revealed no major ligament damage as a result of the injury, but he’s missing some time while he recovers.
As of late Monday night, Wembanyama is questionable to play Tuesday in Memphis, which is 15-20 to start the week. The Spurs, meanwhile, are 25-10 and firmly in second place in the West, leading the Lakers by two games. Oklahoma City is the lone Western Conference squad ahead of the Silver & Black, which beat the Thunder three times in December.
Not counting the NBA Cup Championship against New York, which doesn’t factor into the their regular-season record, the Spurs are 10-4 without Wembanyama this season. They’re 15-6 when he plays.
Head coach Mitch Johnson said before Saturday’s loss against Portland that he expected Wembanyama to travel to Memphis with the team. As for whether he’ll suit up, medical staff are taking it “day by day.”
“We’ll have to see how it goes,” Johnson said. “But it’s going well. We all want him to play. I know he’s chomping at the bit. We’ll get him out there as soon as we can while not sacrificing or compromising anything.”
Wembanyama leads the Spurs with 24.3 points per game, 11.7 rebounds per game this season and 2.9 blocks per game this season. Those numbers are also top-three among all NBA centers.
Devin Vassell, meanwhile, has been ruled out as he continues to deal with a left adductor strain. The starting guard’s 15.0 points per game is good for fourth on the Spurs this year.
San Antonio, which went an NBA-best 11-3 in December, is preparing for a tough stretch of opponents. After Tuesday, the team plays four straight against playoff contenders – the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston, Minnesota and Oklahoma City – with three of those games on the road.
The team is coming off a 115-110 home loss to the Trail Blazers on Saturday.