Victor Wembanyama’s split second decision leaves the Spurs with another frustrating night. The Texas side had all the ingredients to celebrate the thrilling win. But Amen Thompson had other plans. With the Houston Rockets protecting a narrow lead in the closing seconds, the Spurs put the ball in their superstar’s hands for a potential game-tying basket. Thompson’s unbelievable athletic play left everyone stunned.

It left Wemby thinking about the missed opportunity and also the Spurs’ unit as a whole. More importantly, the defeat also exposed a recurring problem that could make life difficult for San Antonio if it continues into the new season.

“I would have dunked,” Victor Wembanyama said at the post-game presser, as per SI’s Matt Guzman.

After the Spurs’ 114-110 loss on Friday, the reporters asked whether he would have done anything differently on the final possession. His answer was immediate: “Yes”

The moment came after San Antonio had one last chance to tie the game with five seconds remaining.

After a much-needed stop on the defensive end, the Spurs called for a timeout with a 2-point deficit. Coach Mitch Johnson set up their final play, putting the ball in Victor Wembanyama’s hands near the basket. The play enabled a golden mismatch opportunity:

6’7 Amen Thompson defending 7 ‘4 Wemby under the basket. He just had to dunk.

But instead of finishing above the rim, Victor Wembanyama switched it to a lay-up at the last moment. Probably, he thought the clock ran out. However, there was still a little over a second left on the clock.

Thompson timed his leap perfectly and rejected the shot with roughly half a second remaining. Fred VanVleet collected the rebound and made two free throws to secure Houston’s victory.

Wemby’s response was telling, but the loss was not solely about the final shot.

The Spurs had battled back into contention after trailing for much of the contest, only to fall short when the decisive possession arrived. For a team trying to establish itself among the Western Conference’s contenders, those repeated stretches of poor execution are becoming difficult to ignore.

Victor Wembanyama came back after a poor 1-13 FG shooting night against the OKC. He recently addressed avoiding overthinking that plagued his shot-making. He spoke about personal improvement after the season opener. 

Last night, he had something for the team.

“Of course. I think we showed a better face. We need to stop getting down on teams … getting down double digits. And we made some mistakes that were very costly. This is our problem. We work hard. We work hard for a time, and then we blow away what we have. But it was better.”

Victor Wembanyama bounced back offensively with 25 points and 13 rebounds against the Rockets. He made 9 of his 21 field-goal attempts. However, the Spurs still could not turn that improved production into their first win. 

One problem he specifically highlighted was San Antonio’s inability to control the defensive glass. Allowing Houston extra offensive rebounds gave the Rockets additional possessions, making it harder for the Spurs to complete their comeback.

Against a team featuring Alperen Sengun, Kevin Durant and Thompson, those second chances proved costly. Wemby considered it a costly mistake at the presser.

Rookie Dylan Harper gave San Antonio another reason for encouragement. He finished with 20 points, providing an important scoring spark as the Spurs pushed back into the game. Moreover, he also addressed the team’s defensive lapses as the reason for loss.

“I feel like we have a lot of lapses on defense; I raise my hand to that; I feel like I, and the team, we’ve all got to get better.”

Above, he also lauded Amen Thompson’s athletic block that saved their game.

Next up, the Spurs immediately face the Mavericks tonight. The fellow Texan team is returning after a dominating win against the Pacers. 

The next test is whether the Spurs can address those problems before another close game slips away.