San Antonio Spurs were dominated by rookie Victor Wambayama in their win over the Toronto Raptors.

TORONTO – When rookie Victor Wembanyama was introduced during pregame warmups at Scotiabank Arena, he received a warm welcome from a sold-out crowd. He gave them a memorable night and expressed his gratitude.

Wembanyama snapped a seven-game losing streak with a triple-double to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 122-99 win over the Toronto Raptors on Monday. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft finished with 27 points, 14 rebounds and a career-high 10 blocks.

He also had five assists, putting him in the all-too-rare quadruple-double range before being eliminated by the Spurs in the win.

“I had second thoughts about it, yes, but I played to win first,” said Wembanyama, who also had seven turnovers. “I got a quintuple-double on laps.”

There have only been four quadruple-doubles in NBA history. San Antonio's David Robinson was the last player to win in 1994.

Only eight rookies, including the seven-foot-four Vembamyana, had 10 blocks in the game. He said that as his season progresses, he finds it difficult to get blocks.

“I had to put in a little extra effort tonight because I had less people going,” he said. “Yes, intimidation is a factor, I can see it there.”

Devin Vassell had 25 points for the Spurs (11-43), including five 3-pointers and six assists.

Rookie Grady Dick — selected 12 spots behind Wembanyama in last summer's draft — led Toronto (19-35) with 18 points and two rebounds. Center Kelly Olympic also led the way with 17 points, while Canada's RJ Barrett had 13 points and five boards.

“The biggest piece of advice I got from the vets when I first got here was that there's going to be a lot of ups and downs throughout the season and to enjoy the ups but learn from the downs,” Dick said. “It's definitely the way we came out and played, but at the same time, it's definitely an experience for me.

“I'm going in as the new guy, but it's something we'll have to fix next time.”

The Toronto Spurs struggled with shooting on a night that was deadly from distance.

The Raptors shot 39.8 percent, including 25.8 percent from three-point range. San Antonio shot 52.9 percent from the field, including 36.7 percent from three.

Wembanyama made an immediate impact Monday, blocking Jacob Poeltl's first touchdown pass of the game and then hitting a three-pointer on San Antonio's first possession before rebounding on the next defensive sequence.

Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic said his team came out on top from the opening whistle of the game.

“It's a lack of effort. It's a lack of intensity. It's a lack of focus. It's all from the beginning of the game,” Rajakovic said. “Too many turnovers leading to easy points and easy points early in the game.”

An 11-2 San Antonio run in the second quarter, including five points and two assists by Wembayama, put the visitors ahead by 15 points. The Spurs went into halftime up 67-50.

San Antonio shot 62.8 percent in the half, including 53.8 percent from beyond the arc. Toronto shot just 45.8% and 25% from three in the first two quarters.

POPP'S SCHOOL — Rajakovic spent seven years with the Spurs organization, serving as a scouting consultant and NBA Summer League assistant coach from 2004-11. Spurs president and head coach Gregg Popovich said he was impressed with Rajakovic during his time in San Antonio.

“He's a serious guy. He's a detail guy. He goes down to simplicity. He doesn't miss a beat. He doesn't miss a step,” Popovich said before the game. “He's very confident in what it takes to win and what it takes to build a team, bring a team together and build a culture.”

UP NEXT – Former Raptors star Pascal Siakam and the Indiana Pacers travel to Toronto on Wednesday for his first game against his former team since being traded on Jan. 17.

The Spurs continue their road trip with a game at Dallas on Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on February 12, 2024.