Victor Wembanyama makes history against Anthony Davis despite Spurs result against Lakers without LeBron James
A historic Victor Wembanyama night couldn't prevent the Spurs losing to a Lakers side missing LeBron James on Wednesday night.
The San Antonio Spurs suffered their 18th straight defeat as the short-handed Lakers came away with a 122-119 win at the Frost Bank Center.
Despite the Spurs' torrid run of late, Wemby continued to put up historic numbers.
The French phenom put up 30 points, 13 rebounds, six blocks, two steals, two assists, becoming the first rookie to produce that stat-line since Spurs legend Tim Duncan in 1998.
The 19-year-old is also the first player in NBA history to put up 30 points, 13 rebounds, six blocks while making four 3-pointers.
The incredible line comes a matter of days after he became the youngest player in NBA history to record at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game. He had 21 points and 20 rebounds in a 112-121 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday.
Wemby had 14 points alone in the fourth quarter against the Lakers on Wednesday, helping the Spurs stage an incredible comeback after being down 18 after the third quarter.
San Antonio got to within one point of LA with 21 seconds remaining but the visitors were able to close out the game.
Ahead of the game, fans were eager to see Wembanyama match against LeBron for the first time, but it wasn't to be as The King missed the game through a calf injury.
The Lakers were playing the second night of a back-to-back, and James had played in 40 minutes in Monday's 127-125 loss at the Dallas Mavericks.
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James was deemed a game-time decision and warmed up beforehand but was ruled out prior to the matchup. The NBA's all-time leading scorer has played in 23 of the Lakers' 25 games so far this season.
It remains to be seen if he is fit to face Wembanyama for the first time on Friday when the teams meet again in San Antonio.
The Spurs rookie still came up against Anthony Davis, though, in what turned out to be a big man battle for the ages.
Davis had his 13th straight double-double, putting up 37 points, ten rebounds and four steals in the win. He also scored nine of the team's final 11 points, including four straight free throws, to hold off the Spurs.
The defeat was another bitter blow for Wemby and the Spurs, who drop to 3-20 for the season after their 18th consecutive loss. They are rock bottom of the Western Conference.
Individually, Wemby is having a Rookie of the Year calibre season. Through his first 22 games, he is averaging 19.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game.
He just needs to start converting these stats into wins.