San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson left the door open to a possible on-court return from Victor Wembanyama when they face the Oklahoma City Thunder for this year’s NBA Cup semifinals on Saturday evening.
Wembanyama has been out due to a left calf strain he sustained against the Golden State Warriors on November 14. However, in his absence, San Antonio has held steady, winning nine of their past 12 matches, including yesterday’s 132-119 quarterfinals victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
“Very much so. He had a really good day today. He had a very intense morning, and we’ll see how he responds or reacts tomorrow,” Johnson said of Wembanyama via Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
If Wembanyama remains on the sidelines against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Luke Kornet, Julian Champagnie, Keldon Johnson, and Kelly Olynyk will continue to play more minutes.
San Antonio Spurs News: Stephon Castle shines in the NBA Cup quarterfinals vs. Los Angeles Lakers
The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on the road, as Stephon Castle pumped in 30 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists on 10-for-14 shooting from the field in 27 minutes of action.
“He’s relentless, and I thought he did a phenomenal job tonight of harnessing that relentless attacking energy and aggressiveness and playing the right way, getting off the ball when he saw a crowd and letting the game call upon what was needed at the time. And I thought he had a phenomenal job of that,” head coach Mitch Johnson said of Castle via Jeff Garcia of KENS 5.
“It’s definitely a big deal for us. It’s fun, win or go home. You always want those big-stakes games, so it just adds a little bit more competitiveness to the game. Like I said, we want to win every game, but having a little something added onto it definitely feels good too,” Castle stated.
