In a game where nerves were tested, the San Antonio Spurs came out on top as they defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 120-116 at the Smoothie King Center on Friday night.

Why it matters: The Spurs improved to 2-0 with the victory, the first time the team has won its first two games of the season since the 2020-21 season.

“Everybody had some really rough moments tonight,” Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson said. “It was good to see in crunch time that a lot of guys stepped up and made plays… to play through that says a lot about their character.”

Here are three takeaways from the Spurs’ win over New Orleans:

Wemby is scary

If you thought Victor Wembanyama’s opening night performance of 40 points, 15 rebounds, one assist, and three blocks was impressive, what he did in New Orleans might be even more mind-boggling.

Wemby fouled out in overtime, but he still put up an eye-opening stat line of 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 blocks. The nine blocks, along with the connection with Luke Kornet, dubbed “French Vanilla”, sends a message to the rest of the league: attack the paint, be prepared to pay the price.

“I trust them [my teammates] as much as they trust me,” Wembanyama said. “Whether I was on the court or off the court, they did a great job and made it happen.”