Victor Wembanyama didn't back down from the challenge of going up against one of the best players in the NBA on Wednesday. As the San Antonio Spurs faced

More importantly, they combined for this highlight, which feels like something you'd see between two created players on a video game. After the game, Antetokounmpo had some high praise for his younger competitor, predicting that barring something strange or unfortunate, Wemby will be the face of the NBA for years to come.

Although Wembanyama ate humble stew on Wednesday, his team remains afloat in the Western Conference NBA Play-In Tier as the 10th seed. However, San Antonio can't afford to play inferior to its opponents, as the Sacramento Kings have the same 18-19 record.

A trio of Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Brook Lopez paved the way for the Bucks, finishing with a combined 73 points. Lopez connected from beyond the arc five times and Lillard four, while Antetokounmpo grabbed 16 rebounds and dished out eight assists.

The latter has turned around in a major way. Since Dec. 1, Wembanyama is making 37% of his 3s on over nine attempts per game. Put that together with his 77% finishing rate at the rim, which Cleaning the Glass ranks in the 86th percentile among all bigs, and Wembanyama already ranks as one of the most dominant inside-out scorers in the league.

Damian Lillard had 26 points and eight assists, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the San Antonio Spurs 121-105.

Wembanyama may lead the NBA in blocks for the remainder of his playing days, but if he keeps developing his perimeter game on such high volume, he’ll almost certainly earn a scoring title at some juncture.

Jan 4, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) loses control of the ball while driving to the basket against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the first half at Frost Bank Center.

Lastly, fan voting returns from Thursday suggest that LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets has a strong chance to be voted as a starter. He leads all East backcourt players in fan voting. Given Ball's time missed to injury (11 games so far) and Charlotte's lowly 8-27 record, his safest path to the All-Star Game is as a starter.

Little did guard Devin Vassell know a 27-foot three-pointer in the first quarter etched him into franchise history.

The sequel flopped, and that was surprising. Over his first season-plus in the NBA, Wembanyama has burnished a reputation for rising to such moments. That is what made Wednesday’s dud in Milwaukee all the more perplexing.