Wembanyama-led Spurs decimate Guangzhou in NBA preseason opener

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs pulled off a sharp start in their NBA preseason campaign following a lopsided win over Chinese professional team Guangzhou Loong-Lions, 119-88, on Oct. 7, 2025, at the Frost Bank Center in Texas.

After almost three months of inactivity, San Antonio shrugged off any return jitters and hit the ground running from the get-go with an early 12-point advantage at the end of the first quarter, 34-22.

Wembanyama was an all-around force for the Spurs as the promising franchise player stuffed the stat sheet and was everywhere on the court, whether it was on the scoring end or the defensive end.

After their preseason debut, the 21-year-old superstar from France finished with a near triple-double of nine points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks.

The most impressive thing about Wembanyama’s efficient performance was he needed only 16 minutes of action to produce such a strong stat line in front of San Antonio’s huge fan base.

Wembanyama shot a perfect 3-of-3 from the field, including a made three-pointer, an and-one basket, and a quick bursting drive to the hoop.

After San Antonio swelled its lead to as much as 36 points, Wembanyama didn’t force the issue and settled into involving his teammates with well-timed passes on the break and in several three-down offensive play sets.

It was pretty much over for Guangzhou when the Spurs led by 29 points in the first half and didn’t need a heavy scoring load from Wembanyama to protect their double-digit cushion in the second half.

Carter Bryant, a 2025 draft prospect by the Spurs, picked up where Wembanyama left off and spearheaded San Antonio’s second-half mastery.

The bouncy and athletic combo guard finished his preseason debut with 15 points built from a 6-of-11 shooting from the field.

San Antonio’s offseason acquisitions also balled out on their home floor, especially former Boston Celtics backup center Luke Kornet, who dominated the game with 16 points and four boards in a limited 13-minute playing time.

On the other hand, the Chinese squad was led by former NBA players Frank Kaminsky and Victor Oladipo, who scored 22 and 20 points, respectively.

The Spurs will look to sustain their fine form on Oct. 9, when they square off against Bam Adebayo and the Erik Spoelstra-coached Miami Heat at 7:30 a.m.