On Tuesday night, the San Antonio Spurs lost to the Memphis Grizzlies, who were without all-star guard and leading scorer Ja Morant, 106-105.
The Spurs have now lost four of their last six games, including losses to other inferior conference teams such as the Portland Trail Blazers and the Utah Jazz.
Tuesday also marked the return of the French superstar, Victor Wembanyama, who poured in 30 points off the bench in his first game of the new year and back since the New Year's Eve NBA Cup rematch against the New York Knicks.
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However, after the Spurs fell short against another team they would have been favored to beat, Wemby owned up to the team's shortcomings with a clever response.
Wembanyama wants San Antonio to stop letting teams off the hook
"The good thing is, we can match up with everybody and look anybody in the eye. The bad thing is, we look everybody in the eye," Wembanyama said post-game after the defeat.
It's hard to argue with the seven-footer's point here, because every fan and athlete knows any team can be beaten on any given night, especially if one underestimates the others, which is the reason for Wemby's comments.
In the early part of the season, San Antonio proved they can defeat any team in the league, with marquee wins over the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Oklahoma City Thunder, whom they have beaten three times.
However, for the Spurs to get over the hump, the young group now has to learn to show up every night and not play down to their competition.
More Spurs News:
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- Mitch Johnson feels the San Antonio Spurs' healthy roster needs more time to mesh
- Spurs' Victor Wembanyama anointed as a new face of the NBA by former All-Star
- Luke Kornet found success by letting go: Inside Spurs big man's evolution away from 3-point specialist