OKLAHOMA CITY — Chet Holmgren gets tired of addressing what he considers a manufactured rivalry with Victor Wembanyama, but he understands the hype.
Wembanyama is 7-foot-3, and Holmgren is 7-foot-1. Wembanyama was last year’s Rookie of the Year for the San Antonio Spurs, and Holmgren was the runner-up for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Both have ballhandling skills and shooting range that are unusually good for players with their height and length.
That kind of storyline potentially leads to higher ratings and more fans in seats.
“The NBA is a business,” Holmgren said. “And the league has been built around players … It’s really — it’s about getting people to come and watch the games. And that’s one of the ways they do it — by advertising the players. So, I just see it as a form of advertising.”
Holmgren won the matchup on Wednesday. He scored 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting to help the Thunder defeat the Spurs 105-93.
Wembanyama was held to six points on 1-for-5 shooting. He did not take a shot or score in the second half.
Before the game, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Wembanyama has improved since last year, when he was also runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year. He said the 20-year-old became more confident this summer while leading France to a silver medal at the Olympics.
After the game, Popovich didn’t answer questions. He gave a two-minute statement complimenting the Thunder and criticizing his team’s effort.
Last season, Wembanyama became more effective each time the Spurs played the Thunder, and San Antonio’s results improved, too.
Oklahoma City won the first two matchups last season, but Wembanyama had 28 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks in the third, a 132-118 victory for San Antonio. Holmgren had 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the same game.
Wembanyama didn’t play in the fourth game, a runaway win for the Thunder, but he averaged 20 points, 13 rebounds and 3.8 blocks in the three he played, setting the stage for the energy level at the Paycom Center on Wednesday.
Wembanyama was booed loudly when introduced with the starters -– right before ex-Oklahoma City player Chris Paul was cheered.
After Wembanyama won the tip, the crowd got excited when the two would occasionally match up directly. There was a buzz in the first quarter when Holmgren handled the ball against Wembanyama before missing a pull-up jumper. Holmgren hit a pair of threes early while being guarded by other players.
The excitement diminished as the matchup became lopsided. Holmgren scored 15 points in the first half while Wembanyama had six points on 1-for-5 shooting and six rebounds.
After Oklahoma City took control, Wembanyama was benched for the final 7:04 of the game — an unexpected end for a player who had averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds through three games.
When asked about the matchup after the game, Holmgren sidestepped it.
“I enjoy every single day being able to wake up, go play basketball, take care of my family doing it,” he said. “It’s what I’ve always wanted to do. That’s what I always want to do as long as I’m able to do it. And, you know, that doesn’t change game to game. But no matter what, it’s always going to be Thunder versus our opponent. I’m here trying to win basketball games. And that’s what it’s going to be every single night.”
