Victor Wembanyama Just Tied His Season High at 41 Points and the Clippers Have No Answer for What's Coming

The San Antonio Spurs are playing basketball from another planet right now, and the LA Clippers are about to find out exactly how good they are when they roll into Inglewood on Thursday. The Spurs just stretched their winning streak to 10 games with a 127-113 beat down of the Warriors, and they're only two games back of the NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder with six games left. This isn't a late-season push anymore. This is a chase for the No. 1 seed in the West that feels like the playoffs already.

Wembanyama Is Playing a Different Sport Than Everyone Else

Victor Wembanyama dropped 41 points and 18 rebounds against the Warriors on Wednesday, tying his season high. That same 41-point mark? He just set it on Monday against the Bulls. At 22 years old, Wembanyama became the youngest player in NBA history to string together back-to-back games of 40-plus points and 15-plus rebounds. That's not a stat line. That's a coming-of-age moment for one of the league's best young talents.

"It feels like everybody is comfortable in their role," Wembanyama said after the Warriors game. "The veterans feel comfortable giving as much advice as they want to and as they feel they need to. And the younger players apply and listen. So we have a good dynamic."

Stephon Castle chipped in 15 points and 11 assists. The Spurs are 25-2 since Feb. 1 and they've been dominant all season long. They're 4-1 against the Thunder this year, even beat them in the NBA Cup semifinals.

The Clippers Are Broken and Out of Time to Fix It

Meanwhile, the Clippers just watched their five-game winning streak die with a 114-104 loss to Portland at home on Tuesday. Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points with eight rebounds, but it wasn't enough. Darius Garland added 20 points, but the team got absolutely crushed on the glass, 48-30 against the Trail Blazers.

Here's the problem: the Clippers traded away big man Ivica Zubac back in February, and rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser went down with a season-ending foot injury. They're playing small by necessity, and head coach Tyronn Lue knows it's killing them.

"We're not good enough with a small lineup right now," Lue said. "I told the players, I take accountability for that because we haven't had a chance to practice, and we haven't played small all year, and so we don't know how to play offensively with the small unit here. We will get better."

Kris Dunn took just two shots in 20 minutes against Portland, finishing with two points and two rebounds. "You got to play with urgency," Dunn said. "We just got to pick up the film and be better. When the situation arrives again, I'll be more prepared."

They better get prepared fast. Playing small against a 7-foot-4 monster like Wembanyama? That's a recipe for getting exposed on Thursday night at Inglewood.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.