Deafening Victor Wembanyama statement sends defiant message in Spurs win

The Victor Wembanyama we saw tonight was reminiscent of the one we got in Game 1 of the series. He scored 33 points and shot 50% from the floor while blocking three shots. What was most impressive was his red-hot first-half start, which set a strong tone for the Spurs.

The Alien notched 22 points during that first half stretch and scored in a variety of ways. He got some easy looks at the rim along with a couple of long-range shots. One of which was a beautiful half-court buzzer beater at the end of the second quarter that sent Frost Bank Center into a frenzy.

The Thunder didn't have an answer for him tonight, as he looked like the best player on the court against the league MVP. San Antonio needs his early aggression again in Game 5 if they want to take a commanding 3-2 lead.

Wemby's hot start was the sign of a true superstar

Victor Wembanyama was good in Game 3, scoring 26 points on efficient shooting, but it came in a demoralizing losing effort. The Spurs got off to a good start in the first quarter in that matchup but blew the lead, ultimately losing by double figures.

It takes a certain mindset to respond to a situation like that. Getting beat by a wide margin on your home turf is a tough pill to swallow, but Wemby had the tools to lead the Spurs to such a huge bounce-back performance.

You can tell by his first-half start that he understood the importance of this game. He was relentless out of the gate for San Antonio on both ends, putting the Thunder in position to play from behind for the entire night.

The true sign of a superstar is being able to analyze a difficult outcome, make the necessary adjustments, and apply it in the next opportunity. That's exactly what we saw from Victor, further proving that he's worth all the hype.

Wembanyama's leadership was on full-display tonight

Some leaders are very vocal; others prefer to lead by example. Victor gave his squad the best of both worlds tonight. Not only was he in his teammates' ears, but his early relentlessness was infectious. Other players contributed to San Antonio's red-hot start

Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell were aggressive on defense, while De'Aaron Fox showed some toughness with his downhill attack. It rubbed off on the bench as well. Dylan Harper and Keldon Johnson also applied some pressure getting to the rim, while Luke Kornet had his best game of the series, scoring six points and snatching seven rebounds.

Wemby provided the perfect blend of tangible and intangible value. He played well individually but also displayed a veteran-like mentality that set off a ripple effect on the entire Spurs roster.

There was no better way for them to respond after their underwhelming Game 3 performance, and they'll need to bring the same energy to Tuesday night's matchup.

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