It was the same basket inside Toyota Center, the same rim in front of Houston’s home bench, where Victor Wembanyama cracked the most vicious hammer of his rookie season atop Alperen u015eengün’s curly hair.
Tuesday night, nearly three months later, u015eengün drew the French phenom at the left block, scooping a pocket pass from Fred VanVleet that would help blend Wembanyama into the sweet taste of revenge. With one look over the wrong shoulder, u015eengün froze the Spurs’ young center for just the second he needed to pirouette the opposite direction and into Houston’s red paint.