Wemby Reveals What Gregg Popovich Texted Him After Spurs' G1 Loss to Knicks in NBA Finals

Victor Wembanyama received some words of encouragement during a text exchange with Gregg Popovich after the San Antonio Spurs' loss to the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Wembanyama explained that the broad strokes of his text discussion with the legendary Spurs coach boiled down to "I've been bad and that I'm better than this."

Wembanyama led the Spurs with 26 points and 12 rebounds, but he shot just 6-of-21 from the field and committed a game-high six turnovers in San Antonio's 105-95 defeat on Wednesday night.

Knicks-Spurs Highlights

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The six turnovers were his most in a game since March 10. His 15 missed field goals were his second-most in a game all season, ahead of only a 5-of-21 shooting performance on Jan. 20.

One reason to be optimistic about a bounce-back performance from Wembanyama is how he's responded to Spurs losses throughout this postseason.

Wembanyama has recorded a double-double three times in the last four games immediately after a Spurs loss dating back to the second round against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The only time Wembanyama didn't reach those numbers was Game 3 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a 123-108 loss. It also makes the only time in these playoffs that the Spurs have lost back-to-back games.

Wednesday's result was especially agonizing for the Spurs because they led by as many as 14 points in the second half. Their offense went ice cold down after the intermission with 40 points on 31.8 percent shooting over the final two quarters.

The Spurs aren't a team loaded with dynamic offensive playmakers, so an off-night for Wembanyama is going to cause them problems. New York was able to exploit that to steal a win on the road to open the series.

Wembanyama and the Spurs will look to get back on track when they host the Knicks in Game 2 on Friday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.