Wembanyama sets NBA playoff blocks record — Spurs lose anyway

Twelve blocks. Twelve. Victor Wembanyama broke an NBA playoff record on Monday night and the Spurs still lost 104-102 in Game 1 of the West semis. The old record was 10. He matched it through three quarters, then broke it in the fourth by stuffing Anthony Edwards at the rim. He finished with a triple-double — 11 points, 15 rebounds, 12 blocks — that nobody in NBA history has even sniffed.

Minnesota didn't care. Edwards came off the bench because of a knee issue and dropped 18 in the second half. Julius Randle did the heavy lifting with 21 and 10. The Wolves shot well enough on the perimeter to make Wembanyama's interior dominance a footnote. Chris Finch said after the game that 'at least four' of those 12 blocks should have been goaltends. The film will say what it says.

Wembanyama's individual ceiling is somehow still rising. Through one playoff game in the second round, he's already turned in the most dominant defensive performance in postseason history. The Spurs have to figure out how to translate that into wins fast. Game 2 is at Minnesota. They're already down 1-0, and the rookie All-NBA team's most valuable player is throwing 12-block triple-doubles in losses.