By 
PHOENIX – Whether during the game or while talking to media afterward, Victor Wembanyama took his time Saturday night.
Eschewing the Moda Center interview room to sit in a folding chair outside the locker room, the French superstar patiently answered questions from reporters after scoring 29 points in a season-low 24 minutes to lead the Spurs to a 125-103 clobbering of the Portland Trail Blazers that extended their winning streak to eight games, the longest in the NBA this season.
It's the Spurs' longest win streak since they won 11 straight late last season, and the run has the league's hottest team 8-2 and tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the top spot in the Western Conference heading into Monday night's game at the Phoenix Suns, who are 3-5 after winning two in a row.
"We've been tested in a couple of ways, but there's still many ways that remain for us to be tested in," Wembanyama said. "We're in a great spot, ten games in. Season goes by quick. We're building. We're trending upwards. Everybody's figuring out the roles. Everybody's getting in shape, getting into the rhythm of the season."
The common thread throughout the streak has been Wembanyama's dominance. His effort against the Blazers, which included seven rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block, made him only the second player in NBA history to record 291 points and 39 blocks through the first 10 games of the season. Shaquille O'Neal did it 1993-94.
Against the Blazers, Wembanyama was a highly efficient, patient force, shooting 9 of 13 from the field, 3 of 6 from beyond the arc and 8 of 9 at the free-throw line to notch his sixth game of 29 or more points in the last seven outings.
"Victor didn't fight the game," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. "He wasn't a big part of the game for a stretch there, but he did a phenomenal job of just continuing to play and allow the game to unfold organically and influence the game when it was in front of him. But he didn't press. And there were stretches there where he didn't touch the ball much and he didn't fight the game. That was huge for us."
Wembanyama said his methodical approach against the physical Blazers and 7-foot-2 center Donovan Clingan and, on occasions, muscular, aggressive fellow Frenchman and former Spur Sidy Cissoko, was all about trusting the game plan and his teammates.
"Sometimes it's as simple as that because we know we got talent," Wembanyama said.
In a rematch of last season's Western Conference first-round playoff series the Spurs won in five games on their way to making their first appearance in the NBA Finals since 2014, the Spurs raced to a 25-point lead midway through the third period with a 16-2 run in which Wembanyama scored nine points on two alley-oop slams, a tip dunk and a 3-pointer and added a rebound, an assist and a block.
Wembanyama finished the third with 13 points on 6 of 9, four rebounds and three assists in eight minutes.
The Spurs outscored the Blazers 45-27 in the third period after winning the second quarter 42-29 for a 15-point halftime cushion. The 45 points marked the most the Spurs have scored in any period this season.
Playing on the second night of a back-to-back and with two more games left on this four-game road trip, Johnson pulled the starters after the third quarter with the Spurs up by 33, a far cry from the two-point lead (22-20) they had entering the second period.
Devin Vassell chipped in 15 points for the Spurs, who are 4-0 on the road. Stephon Castle and Julian Champagnie each scored 14, and Dylan Harper contributed 13 while recording a team-high plus-29 rating.
Deni Avdija led the Blazers (6-3) with 15 points, eight below his season average. Scoot Henderson finished with 13, and Damian Lillard added 12, seven below his season norm.
"That's a team that's playing very well right now in Portland," Johnson said. "The game started off very competitive, very physical on both ends. We were able to maintain some poise and some execution with it. We just did a really good job of bringing energy, played a lot of guys and everybody that stepped on the floor did a really good job of bringing some of that juice of the physicality and the competitiveness."
Said Wembanyama, "It was a really fun game against a tough team. We really answered the right way, and this is why we had fun. We could have done the wrong choices, but my teammates were really on point tonight."
That was especially true of Castle.
In addition to his 14 points, the third-year guard had seven rebounds, including three on the offensive end, to go with five assists and one block.
"Steph Castle's competitiveness took over the game there for that middle to late (portion) of the second quarter (which led to a 64-49 halftime lead)," Johnson said.
Castle's hustling effort in the period included tracking down a loose ball that he fed to Vassell for a corner 3. Castle finished the quarter with four assists and no turnovers.
"He took over the game there just in terms of the physicality and the competitiveness he played with the execution and the poise and composure," Johnson said. "And our guys followed him."
Said Wembanyama, "He had real poise tonight. He was a true point guard. He knows how to lead us and we trust him."
All in all, it's been a memorable first 10 games for the Spurs, who overcame losses to the Thunder and the Houston Rockets to start the season. The winning streak has included three back-to-backs, an overtime win at Utah and a 112-111 victory at home over Dallas in which Wembanyama had a career-high 52 points, a career-best 24 rebounds and a season-high eight blocks.
"There was a lot of excitement and a lot going into this camp in the start of the season, understandably so," Johnson said. "They've handled it in a very professional and mature way and I've been very happy with that. That doesn't mean it's been perfect. That doesn't mean we haven't had some growing pains or things we had to continue to be sharper on, but our guys are continuing to put the energy in the right direction and they're all about each other. And so even when we don't necessarily do the right things or make the right decisions, we are learning quickly and adapting accordingly."
And, like Wembanyama, doing it patiently while trusting each other.
Subscribe
There’s more to San Antonio with the Express-News. Subscribe today for just 25¢.
This article originally published at Spurs in 'great spot' as NBA's hottest team following 0-2 start to season.
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/spurs-great-spot-nbas-hottest-212331415.html
