Lauri Markkanen was too much for Victor Wembanyama: Utah Jazz defeats San Antonio Spurs

Two foreign born players dominated tonight’s matchup in Victor Wembanyama and Lauri Markkanen. However, it was The Marksman who came out on top as he led the Utah Jazz to a 128-109 victory over the San Antonio Spurs at Delta Center.

There has been a bunch of hype around Victor Wembanyama and rightfully so. In his previous game he recorded a 5x5 stat line, something that hasn’t been done since 2019 while also being the youngest player to ever do so.

The 2023 first overall pick is looking like he’ll win the Rookie of the Year and with the way he’s been playing this season, the ceiling is unmatched, as the greatest prospect in NBA history has a chance to go down as one of the greatest to ever play this game.

However, it was the former All-Star Lauri Markkanen who got the last laugh, as he led the way with 26 points and 5 made threes. Jordan Clarkson came off the bench and had 22 points with 10 assists while John Collins also scored 20 points. Collin Sexton ended the night with 16 points, 10 assists, and 4 steals.

For the Spurs, Wemby dominated with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Devin Vassell led the team in scoring with 27 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 3 blocks of his own. Zach Collins provided a spark off the bench, ending with 17 points and 8 rebounds while Tre Jones finished with 15 points and 9 assists.

This win improves the Jazz to 27-31, which makes them 11th in the Western Conference and 3 games behind the Warriors for the last play-in spot. This victory snaps a 5-game losing streak and they are now 3-7 over their last 10 games. Their next matchup will be on Tuesday against the Atlanta Hawks.

On the other hand, this loss drops the Spurs to 11-47, which makes them 15th in the Western Conference. This loss doesn’t matter to much to San Antonio since they are already preparing for the offseason, as they want to add more talent around their prized possession Wemby. They are 1-9 over their last 10 games and currently on a 4-game losing streak. Their next game will be on Tuesday against the top seeded Minnesota Timberwolves.