The San Antonio Spurs traveled to North Carolina on Friday night to take on the Charlotte Hornets but ultimately fell short, losing 124-120. Zach Collins made his return to the lineup after missing some time due to injury, and Keldon Johnson led the team in scoring, pouring in 25 points off the pine.
And to make the tight game even more impressive, the Spurs did it without Victor Wembanyama, who was sidelined. The big man isn’t playing in back-to-backs, and since the Spurs are playing the Washington Wizards on Saturday night (with Wembanyama’s former teammate Bilal Coulibaly on the roster), they’re going to let him play in that one.
Wembanyama was listed on the injury report for “rest,” but head coach Gregg Popovich corrected that distinction.
“No, it’s not rest, it’s doctor’s orders,” Popovich said via ESPN. “He’s been working on his body and he has got a minutes restriction and is not allowed to play back-to-backs right now. It will probably change very soon but for now, we have to abide by that restriction.”
In addition to not playing in back-to-backs, the minutes restriction Popovich mentioned has also been hindering the rookie’s ability to play at key points in games.
He’s been dealing with an ankle issue ever since the freak injury prior to the Spurs’ game against the Dallas Mavericks.
Despite Wembanyama’s absence, Johnson, Collins, Devin Vassell, and Tre Jones kept Friday’s game against the Hornets close, but they just weren’t able to get the job done at the end of the night.
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