PORTLAND, Ore. - For the second game in a row, Victor Wembanyama rolled an ankle. For the second game in a row, he shook it off.
The Spurs center stepped on Walter Clayton Jr.'s foot in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's 114-113 win over Dallas, forcing him to leave the game for a few minutes before returning to finish off his epic 52-point, 24-rebound, eight-block performance .
In Friday night's 124-109 win at Sacramento , Wembanyama rolled his left ankle, but the result was the same: He moved on like nothing happened after Domantas Sabonis got hit with a flagrant 1 for a reckless closeout with 31.2 seconds left in the first half.
After flexing his ankle for about a minute, Wembanyama got up and hit 1 of 3 free throws and remained in the game until the first-half buzzer. He finished with 30 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks in 26 minutes on the first night of a back-to-back.
"It's good because it balances it out. Now I'm balanced," Wembanyama said of rolling each ankle.
Spurs guard Dylan Harper called Wembanyama "Superman" after Wednesday's game.
"He rolls his ankle and pops right up and acts like nothing happened," Harper said.
Wembanyama's ability to shake off ankle mishaps that would sideline most players is a testament to how hard he works on his flexibility, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said.
"Not my field of expertise, but I do know he puts more time into his preparation and into his body and recovery and everything in between than anybody I've ever seen," Johnson said.
Wembanyama said his body has grown accustomed to ankle tweaks.
"The thing your body won't forgive you for is if you go through a range you've never been before in game, then you're screwed," he said. "But I've trained my ankles and they've been through these ranges before, so it's nothing new. Now, you have to avoid (turning an ankle) because it's a violent stimulation for the ligaments. But on one side, flexibility and mobility. And on the other side, strength. It's a good recipe."
Vassell bounces back:Spurs forward Devin Vassell bounced back from the stinker he suffered through against Dallas.
The seventh-year pro hit 6 of 10 from the field and 5 of 6 from 3-point range for 19 points in Sacramento after scoring just two points against the Mavericks on a night he missed all eight of his shots from the field and all five of his attempts from deep.
"We've also done a better job in certain games of making a concerted effort of finding him and Julian (Champagnie) in rhythm and on time and on target," Johnson said. "And those are guys we got to hunt when they get space."
Wembanyama also found his range from deep, hitting 4 of 6 after entering the game with a 24% success rate from beyond the arc.
Coach explains change in rotation:Johnson said Carter Bryant's lack of playing doesn't reflect anything the second-year forward is or isn't doing.
Bryant logged just three minutes of garbage time Friday after he stayed on the bench for the entire game against Dallas on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Harrison Barnes had 13 points in 19 minutes against the Kings, helping him make his case for a spot in the rotation.
"We got a lot of guys," Johnson said. "There's not enough minutes to go around. So I just need (Bryant) to keep doing what he's doing, just continue to stay with the process. And at times, unfortunately, when you're on a really good team and you're a younger player or you're fighting to get in the rotation, you can do everything right, (but) that doesn't mean you're going to get what you want."
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This article originally published at Spurs' Victor Wembanyama bounces back again from twisted ankle .
