Welcome to the Wemby Era 👀

10/26/2023

By: Jeff Yoder

Victor Wembanyama’s Debut & All The Top Stories From 12 Games on NBA Opening Night 2.0

It’s hard to put into words. Watching Victor Wembanyama play basketball feels almost chilling. Few of us have ever met a human being that stands 7-foot-4, let alone an athletic prodigy that can move, dribble, defend and shoot like this once-in-a-lifetime unicorn. Even so, he’s only 19 years old. His NBA debut came with some growing pains on Wednesday night. A few displays of raw talent were evident, but he gave us a glimpse of the future in limited minutes due to foul trouble. And while the Spurs weren’t winners last night — a late-game takeover by Luka Doncic stole the show — the alien specimen known as “Wemby” is coming to an NBA arena near you. He might just redefine the next generation of the NBA.

Here’s a recap of all the action from the Association’s unofficial second night of season-openers, starting with Wembymania.

Luka Spoils Wembanyama’s Debut

An all-Texas opener had all the eyes of NBA fans on Wednesday with the Spurs’ rookie sensation getting his first live-action against Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Wemby started hot and ended hot, but foul trouble throughout marred his NBA debut. He finished with 15 points and 5 rebounds in just 23 minutes (9 points in the 4th quarter). When he played, he showed glimpses of excellence, including a 3-for-5 night from 3, a few steals/blocks and a clutch and-one dunk down the stretch. Luka Doncic (33-13-10) was too much, though. He started his 2023-24 campaign with a triple-double and a dagger 3 in the final minutes to lift the Mavs to a road win and spoil Wemby’s big night. Mavericks def. Spurs (126-119)

Pacers Pop Off for Record 143 Points

Indiana’s team nickname might be the perfect moniker for this lineup after witnessing a Game 1 track meet. The Pacers played at a frenetic pace that broke records. They had 110 points after three quarters and finished with 143 in a rout of the Wizards — the highest-scoring season-opener in franchise history. Eight Pacers scored in double figures, but Bruce Brown (24 pts) was the high-point man with six 3s. City of speed living up to the name. Pacers def. Wizards (143-120)

Spida Mitchell Hits Shot of the Night

The shot of the night belonged to Donovan Mitchell in a Cleveland closeout. The man known as ‘Spida’ went for 27 points, including the game-winning 3 in the waning seconds to steal an opening-night win for Cleveland. New Cavalier Max Strus was also deadly, shooting 7-for-13 from deep as the Cavs held off the Nets. Cavaliers def. Nets (114-113)

Zion Williamson Sends Reminder

The Zion we’ve all been waiting for… if he can only stay healthy. The Pelicans opened the season with a big win over the Grizzlies, and Zion Williamson reminded everyone how dominant he can be. He started a 23-7-3 night with a couple of highlight-reel dunks. The man is still a force when he goes to the rack, and he looks ready to play bully-ball in a hopefully (finally) healthy campaign. Pelicans def. Grizzlies (111-104)

Porzingis Makes Celtics History

An east coast clash might’ve been the game of the night with Boston and New York going blow for blow. The Celtics got the last laugh thanks to a clutch 3 from Kristaps Porzingis with a minute to play. The new-look Cs, with Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, looks tough to beat. KP set a Celtics record for most points in a team debut (30). Celtics def. Knicks (108-104)

Other NBA Scores & Highlights

Thunder def. Bulls (124-104)

Raptors def. Timberwolves (97-94)

Heat def. Pistons (103-102)

Hornets def. Hawks (116-110)

Kings def. Jazz (130-114)

Magic def. Rockets (116-86)

Clippers def. Blazers (123-111)

Highlight of the Night

Malik Monk (Kings) Throws Down Vicious Poster Jam

Only two games grace the schedule tonight. We’ll settle into the nightly routine of NBA “quick-caps” as the season progresses, but it’s great to have basketball back in the lineup!

Tonight’s Schedule

76ers at Bucks (7:30 pm ET, TNT)

Suns at Lakers (10:00 pm ET, TNT)

ESPN: Kristaps Porzingis Scores 30, Seals Win at MSG in Celtics Debut

Yardbarker: Zion Williamson Takes Flight on Back-to-Back Dunks in Pelicans Return

Photo: Chandan Khanna / Getty Images