Victor Wembanyama rues inefficiency despite record night in San Antonio Spurs loss

Victor Wembanyama delivered a historic defensive display but admitted his own inefficiency cost the San Antonio Spurs in a narrow 104–102 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference semi-finals.

The 22-year-old recorded a playoff-record 12 blocks on Monday night, alongside 11 points and 15 rebounds, becoming just the third player in NBA postseason history to register a triple-double featuring blocks, following Andrew Bynum and Hakeem Olajuwon.

However, Wembanyama was far from satisfied. He pointed to poor energy management and questionable offensive decisions, acknowledging he expended too much effort on plays that did not benefit the team.

"I feel like I had to use my energy," he said.

"Obviously, I used a lot of it on one side of the court. On the other side, offensively, I used too much energy on things that didn't really help our team. So, that's on me.”

Despite his dominance defensively, his struggles in attack proved costly. He shot just 29 per cent from the field and missed all eight of his three-point attempts, the most without a make in Spurs playoff history.

Minnesota’s physical defence, led by Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle, limited his influence by forcing him away from his preferred positions.

The Timberwolves improved offensively after the break, while San Antonio faltered late. A late dunk from Dylan Harper cut the deficit to two points, but Julian Champagnie missed a potential game-winning shot at the buzzer.

Wembanyama also became the youngest player in Spurs history to record a playoff triple-double, surpassing Tim Duncan.

Teammate De'Aaron Fox admitted the team must improve quickly, insisting they would regroup and respond stronger in Game 2.