Fans Disregard Victor Wembanyama’s Record-Setting 40-Point Performance Against Lakers – “Not Playing Against a Real Team”

Victor Wembanyama scored a season-high 40 points against a short-handed Los Angeles Lakers.

Fans Disregard Victor Wembanyama’s Record-Setting 40-Point Performance Against Lakers – “Not Playing Against a Real Team”

Victor Wembanyama (Image credits - Firstsportz)

In Short
  • Victor Wembanyama scored 40 points in a historic performance against the Lakers, breaking Tim Duncan's record for highest-scoring first half by a Spurs player.
  • The Spurs extended their winning streak to five games, improving their record to 37-16 and securing second place in the Western Conference.
  • Fans criticized Wembanyama's achievement, citing the Lakers' absence of key players like LeBron James and Luka Doncic.

On Tuesday night, Victor Wembanyama put in a historic performance in Hollywood. The San Antonio Spurs recorded a convincing 136-108 blowout victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at the Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers were short-handed as they were without the services of their offensive backcourt trio of Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves.

The Spurs are on a good run at the moment and extended their winning streak to five games. The win improved their record to 37-16 as they sit comfortably at second place in the Western Conference standings. Meanwhile, the Lakers lost both games on consecutive nights and find themselves at fifth place in the standings.

Victor Wembanyama has had his fair share of struggles throughout his young NBA career. However, it looks like the difficult days are behind him as he continues to put in MVP-caliber performances day in, day out. He came to Hollywood to put on a show. The Frenchman’s stunning first-half performance shattered Tim Duncan’s record for the highest-scoring first half by a Spurs player in the play-by-play era with 37 points.

The Spurs center got off to a hot start, scoring 25 points in the first quarter, missing just one shot on 8-of-9 shooting. With the Spurs up by 32 in the middle of the third quarter, Wembanyama sat out for the majority of the second half. It was his sixth career 40-point game and his second of the 2025-26 campaign. The 22-year-old ended the night with 40 points, 12 rebounds, and two assists in just 26 minutes.

It was always going to be a tall ask for the Lakers without their primary scorers. Doncic, who is the focal point of the team, continues to recover from his hamstring. James took to the court on the first night of the back-to-back against the Thunder and decided to sit this one out, while Reaves has just returned from a month-long absence due to injury.

Fans are not impressed by Victor Wembanyama’s performance against a short-handed Lakers

It was a historic performance from the young French center. He remains in contention for league MVP this season as he is currently averaging 23.9 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.7 blocks in 38 appearances.

However, NBA fans were left unimpressed by Wembanyama’s performance as the Lakers did not have their stars in action on Tuesday.

Throughout the season, the Lakers have been exposed against young and athletic teams and Tuesday night was no different. Their lack of defense continues to be their Achilles heel and is one of the main reasons why they are not viewed as championship contenders this season.

LeBron James ineligible for postseason awards

After missing the first 14 games and a slow start to the season, James has found his top condition once again. The four-time champion has shown no signs of slowing down since turning 41. He is currently averaging 21.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 35 appearances.

LeBron James dunking against the Bulls
LeBron James dunking (Image via LeBron Wire/X)

James sat out for Tuesday’s game against the Spurs and marks the 18th game that the 41-year-old has missed this season. To qualify for end-of-season awards, NBA players must participate in at least 65 games. With his absence, he becomes ineligible for the All-NBA teams.

While it was unlikely that James would be named for any of the awards and All-NBA selections, his absence puts an end to 21 straight All-NBA selections. James has been selected for the All-Star Game happening this weekend in Inglewood, California.

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