Victor Wembanyama leaves Spurs' win over Knicks with leg injury
The Spurs' star went up to grab a rebound and came down holding his knee. He was able to walk off under his own power.

Victor Wembanyama left Wednesday's Knicks-Spurs matchup with a leg injury. Michael Gonzales / Getty Images
Victor Wembanyama left Wednesday’s game against the New York Knicks with a leg injury.
The San Antonio Spurs’ star went up to grab a rebound and came down holding his knee. He was able to walk off under his own power but was hobbling on his way to the locker room. Toward the end of San Antonio’s 134-132 win, Wembanyama returned to the bench with slippers on, thus missing the remainder of the matchup. He finished with 31 points, 13 rebounds, one assist and one block in just over 23 minutes of action.
“I’m feeling good, just sore,” Wembanyama said during his postgame press conference. “I’m confident. I was close to coming back into the game. They had to hold me back … It was just a hyperextension. It should be a minimal.”
Wembanyama missed several weeks already this season with a calf injury. Since returning from a 12-game absence, Wembanyama played in nine consecutive games for the Spurs, including six outings as a reserve. He started in each of his last three appearances, which included averaging 29.0 points on 51.4 percent shooting in his previous two games.
The Spurs entered Wednesday with a 23-9 record, good for No. 2 in the Western Conference. They have a 9-3 record this season when the 21-year-old Wembanyama misses a game. Entering Wednesday, they had a plus-11.6 net rating when he’s on the court, compared to a mark of plus-2.2 when he’s on the bench.
For their next game, the Spurs visit the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 2.

James L. Edwards III is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the New York Knicks. Previously, he covered the Detroit Pistons at The Athletic for seven seasons and, before that, was a reporter for the Lansing State Journal, where he covered Michigan State and high school sports. Follow James L. on Twitter @JLEdwardsIII