<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-why-chet-holmgren-excited-face-victor-wembanyama-spurs-nba-cup');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Thunder’s Chet Holmgren is excited to face Victor Wembanyama, Spurs in NBA Cup');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Thunders-Chet-Holmgren-Spurs-Victor-Wembanyama.jpg"><figcaption>Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why Thunder’s Chet Holmgren is excited to face Victor Wembanyama, Spurs in NBA Cup</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-12T18:53:05-08:00">December 12th, 6:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-12T18:53:05-08:00">December 12th, 6:53pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After losing the NBA Cup final to the Milwaukee Bucks without Chet Holmgren last season, the Oklahoma City Thunder are back in the semifinals to take on Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in Las Vegas. All-Star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-reveals-nba-cup-hunter-mentality">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander discussed the Thunder’s hunter mentality</a> as defending champions this season, which hasn’t faltered amid a near-perfect start through 2025-26’s first 25 games.</p><p>The Spurs, who’ve been without Wembanyama since November 15, are expected to have the towering All-Star center back to take on the Thunder. Holmgren explained <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFfg31LFkiA&amp;t=284s" rel="noopener">why he’s excited</a> to take on Wembanyama and the Spurs.</p><p>“We wanna play against really good teams that’s fully healthy with all their best players,” Holmgren said. “They’re a great team already, and to get him back is only going to make them better. So, I’m excited.”</p><p>The Spurs have won four of their last five games, including a 132-119 NBA Cup quarterfinal win against the Los Angeles Lakers without Victor Wembanyama.</p><p>“The Spurs are a great young team,” Holmgren added. “They’re hungry. They’re playing right now. You add Victor to that, and it only makes them better. So, we’re excited to play against them. I’m sure they’re excited to play against us, and I think it should be a good game.”</p><p>The Spurs (17-7) are now tied with the Lakers for the fourth-best record in the Western Conference.</p><h2><b>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reveals NBA Cup ‘hunters mentality’</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Thunders-Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander-2.jpg"><figcaption>Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-why-mark-daigneault-isnt-focused-16-game-win-streak">Thunder extended its winning streak to 16 straight</a> in Wednesday’s 138-89 NBA Cup quarterfinal victory against the Suns. Ahead of facing the Suprs, Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwjF87Fnsq0" rel="noopener">discussed his team’s approach</a> this season and how it’s led to the league’s best 24-1 record.</p><p>“We go out there with a hunter’s mentality ourselves, and honestly, we go out there to better ourselves,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I’m sure you guys have heard the stories about some of my teammates competing against each other during the games to get steals, and things like that — that’s where our minds is. We’re trying to be a better version of ourselves every night we go out there. We like to hunt in that form.</p><p>“If we didn’t get better tonight, then we wasted an opportunity. That’s kind of how we see it.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Thunder’s Chet Holmgren is excited to face Victor Wembanyama, Spurs in NBA Cup

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-victor-wembanyama-picks-top-players-nba');   ga('set', 'title', 'Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama picks his top players in NBA');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Victor-Wembanyama-picks-his-top-players-in-NBA.jpg"><figcaption>Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama picks his top players in NBA</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-12T17:55:00-08:00">December 12th, 5:55pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-12T18:03:21-08:00">December 12th, 6:03pm</time><address><a>Allan Binoy</a>Allan Binoy is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NCAA Football, and NBA for ClutchPoints. With a deep passion for storytelling and analysis, he brings fans closer to the action by breaking down the biggest moments and storylines across the world of sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Victor Wembanyama didn’t hesitate when ESPN asked him to name the NBA’s best player. The San Antonio Spurs star gave respect where it was due, calling Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic “the best offensive player,” before drawing a clear line.</p><p>In Wembanyama’s eyes, the league’s top overall player <a href="https://x.com/mattgzman/status/1999635597913391687?s=20" rel="noopener">comes down to two names</a> right now. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder.</p><p>Then came the closer. “When I come back to the court,” Wembanyama said, “it will be me.”</p><p>That confidence has followed Wembanyama since he entered the league. The second-year big man is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-victor-wembanyama-likely-make-injury-return-nba-cup-thunder">returning at a crucial moment</a> for San Antonio, with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-poor-victor-wembanyama-isnt-motivated-stacking-money-nba-cup-win">Spurs set to face the Thunder</a> in the NBA Cup semifinals. The timing adds weight to his words, especially with Gilgeous-Alexander standing on the other side.</p><p>Wembanyama’s impact this season has gone <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-jalen-williams-praises-victor-wembanyama">beyond highlight blocks and viral plays</a>. He continues to fill every column when he’s on the floor, scoring efficiently while anchoring the defense, rebounding at a high rate, and creating problems opponents struggle to solve. The Spurs look far more competitive when he plays, and his presence alone reshapes how teams attack.</p><p>His comments also reflect a broader mindset. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-shaq-stuns-victor-wembanyama-admission">Wembanyama doesn’t shy away</a> from the league’s elite. He studies them, respects them, and openly believes he belongs in that conversation. Jokic, Antetokounmpo, and Gilgeous-Alexander represent different paths to dominance, but Wembanyama sees his own ceiling as higher.</p><p>Wembanyama isn’t claiming the crown today. He’s making a promise for tomorrow. And if his play continues to match his confidence, the rest of the NBA may not have to wait long to see what he means.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama picks his top players in NBA

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-poor-victor-wembanyama-isnt-motivated-stacking-money-nba-cup-win');   ga('set', 'title', 'Spurs’ ‘Poor’ Victor Wembanyama isn’t motivated by stacking money with NBA Cup win');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Victor-Wembanyama.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Spurs’ ‘Poor’ Victor Wembanyama isn’t motivated by stacking money with NBA Cup win</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-12T17:33:08-08:00">December 12th, 5:33pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-12T17:45:28-08:00">December 12th, 5:45pm</time><address><a>Allan Binoy</a>Allan Binoy is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NCAA Football, and NBA for ClutchPoints. With a deep passion for storytelling and analysis, he brings fans closer to the action by breaking down the biggest moments and storylines across the world of sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">San Antonio Spurs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>During media availability ahead of the NBA Cup semifinal matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder, a reporter asked Victor Wembanyama whether the financial bonus tied to winning the tournament motivated him. His response came with a grin and a message.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Victor Wembanyama on if the NBA Cup prize money adds extra motivation for him 🤔</p><p>“Poor Vic needs more money, right? I haven't thought about what I'm gonna do with it… Just stacking money hasn’t really been a goal of mine.”</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/BenGolliver?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BenGolliver</a>)</p><p> <a href="https://t.co/W9lKL0qsHA">pic.twitter.com/W9lKL0qsHA</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1999635286322741417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Poor Vic needs more money, right?” Wembanyama said. “I haven’t thought about what I’m gonna do with it. Just stacking money hasn’t really been a goal of mine.”</p><p>For a league still getting used to the NBA Cup and its cash incentives, Wembanyama’s answer felt refreshingly on-brand. The 7-foot-4 superstar has never sounded like someone chasing checks. He <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-jalen-williams-praises-victor-wembanyama">sounds like someone chasing mastery</a>.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-victor-wembanyama-likely-make-injury-return-nba-cup-thunder">Wembanyama returned just in time</a> for the NBA Cup semifinals after missing time earlier this season, giving the Spurs a massive boost on both ends of the floor. When he’s available, San Antonio looks different. The spacing opens up. The defense tightens. And the game tilts in ways only a generational talent can manage.</p><p>The numbers back it up. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-shaq-stuns-victor-wembanyama-admission">Wembanyama continues to impact games</a> far beyond points. His rim protection, rebounding, and ability to alter shots remain elite, even on nights when his scoring fluctuates. He doesn’t need to dominate the ball to dominate the game.</p><p>That’s why his comments resonate. This isn’t a player measuring success by bonuses or headlines. A player focused on monetary things won’t go to China during the offseason to train with Shaolin monks. Wembanyama has made his intentions clear from the moment he stepped onto an NBA court; he’s here to rewrite history.</p><p>For “Poor Vic,” the real reward is the game itself.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Spurs’ ‘Poor’ Victor Wembanyama isn’t motivated by stacking money with NBA Cup win

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-jalen-williams-praises-victor-wembanyama');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jalen Williams places Victor Wembanyama in a ‘class of his own’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Victor-Wembanyama-of-the-San-Antonio-Spurs-2.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Jalen Williams places Victor Wembanyama in a ‘class of his own’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-12T15:53:08-08:00">December 12th, 3:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-12T16:22:32-08:00">December 12th, 4:22pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Antonio Spurs are set to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday for the semi-finals of the NBA Cup. Leading up to the contest, Jalen Williams was asked about how he and his teammates are going to gameplan <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-victor-wembanyama-likely-make-injury-return-nba-cup-thunder">for Victor Wembanyama</a>. During that time, Williams praised Wembanyama for his unique style of play.</p><p>While talking with media members, the 24-year-old Thunder forward essentially claimed that Wemby is a <a href="https://x.com/NBA/status/1999620782058832287" rel="noopener">one-of-a-kind player</a>. Based on Williams’ comments, Oklahoma City is going to have to focus on trying to maintain Wembanyama as best they can.</p><p>“He’s kind of in like a class of his own,” said Jalen Williams about Victor Wembanyama. “A lot of the little fundamental stuff and being in the right spots are heightened when you play a player like that.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"He's in a class of his own."</p><p>JDub discusses how the Thunder have to game plan for Wemby, as he is probable to return to the lineup for the Spurs in the <a href="https://twitter.com/emirates?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@emirates</a> NBA Cup Semifinals 👽</p><p>SAS-OKC | Tomorrow at 9pm/et | Prime <a href="https://t.co/F9ekO0wJ18">pic.twitter.com/F9ekO0wJ18</a></p><p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1999620782058832287?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p> </p><p>Although the Thunder are in first place in the Western Conference with a 24-1 record, the Spurs have been fantastic so far this season in their own right. Despite <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-victor-wembanyama-miss-lakers-game-calf-injury">Victor Wembanyama missing several games</a> due to a calf injury, San Antonio is still 17-7 through its first 24 games this year.</p><p>Wembanyama has not technically been cleared to play in Saturday’s Cup Game against the Spurs. However, the Spurs star seems on track to play. If he is officially cleared, it will be his first game back on the court since the team’s 109-108 loss to the Golden State Warriors on November 14.</p><p>When healthy, the 21-year-old superstar is averaging 26.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 50.2% from the field and 34.5% from beyond the three-point line. Each category, besides blocks per game and three-point percentage, are all career-highs for Wembanyama right now.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jalen Williams places Victor Wembanyama in a ‘class of his own’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-victor-wembanyama-likely-make-injury-return-nba-cup-thunder');   ga('set', 'title', 'Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama ‘likely’ to make injury return in NBA Cup vs. Thunder');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Victor-Wembanyama-warms-up-before-a-game-in-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama ‘likely’ to make injury return in NBA Cup vs. Thunder</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-12T12:18:49-08:00">December 12th, 12:18pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-12T13:00:30-08:00">December 12th, 1:00pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The long-awaited return of San Antonio Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanyama has finally arrived, and just in time for the NBA Cup semifinal game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-mitch-johnson-open-victor-wembanyama-return-thunder">Spurs’ Wembanyama was reportedly expected to return</a> for Saturday’s matchup against the Thunder before a report on Friday made things official.</p><p>Wembanyama is <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1999569968313036854" rel="noopener">expected to be back</a> in action for the Spurs’ NBA Cup game against the Thunder, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.</p><p>“San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama is likely to return for Saturday’s NBA Cup semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Las Vegas, sources tell ESPN,” Charania reported. “Final clearance will come after today’s practice for Wembanyama, who’s been sidelined since Nov. 14 due to a calf strain.”</p><p>Wembanyama has missed the last 12 games. The Spurs, who have fared well in Wemby’s absence with a 9-3 record, will look to snap the Thunder’s historic 16-game winning streak to advance to the NBA Cup final in Las Vegas. The winner between Oklahoma City and San Antonio will face the winner of the semifinals matchup between the New York Knicks and the Orlando Magic.</p><p>The Spurs will face the Thunder in the NBA Cup semifinal in Las Vegas on Saturday.</p><h2><b>Mitch Johnson on Spurs Victor Wembanyama’s potential return</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Spurs-star-Victor-Wembanyama-vs-Lakers.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson felt good about Victor Wembanyama’s chances of returning to the floor to face the Thunder. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-dylan-harper-stephon-castle-nba-cup-quarterfinals-lakers">Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle led the Spurs</a> to victory in the NBA Cup quarterfinals against the Lakers, which is the kind of positive momentum for Wembanyama to return to ahead of attempting to hand the Thunder only its second loss of the season.</p><p>Johnson revealed Wembanyama was <a href="https://x.com/JaredWeissNBA/status/1998994051836899434" rel="noopener">trending in the right direction</a> after Spurs’ practice on Thursday, per The Athletic’s Jared Weiss.</p><p>“[He could return] very much so. He had a very good day today. He had a good intent day this morning, and we’ll have to see how he responds and reacts tomorrow,” Johnson said.</p><p>Wembanyama’s final status for Saturday’s NBA Cup semifinal game against the Thunder will be announced shortly.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
26.2	12.9	4.0	3.6	1.1

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
26.2	12.9	4.0	3.6	1.1

Victor Wembanyama

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