Photo: Peter Baba

Victor Wembanyama spent a season-high 44 minutes on the floor in Game 4, even though the San Antonio Spurs controlled the game for much of the night before their late collapse.

Following the loss, Wembanyama acknowledged that fatigue may have played a role as the game went on.

“Yeah, I guess I did,” he said when asked if he wore down during the second half.

Head coach Mitch Johnson defended the decision to keep his star on the court for extended minutes, pointing to the importance of the game and the opportunity to take a commanding position in the series.

“With two days (off) after this, what was at stake, we wanted to win the game and try to put it away,” Johnson said.

Despite carrying a large lead deep into the contest, San Antonio was unable to close out the victory and now faces elimination in Game 5.

Victor Wembanyama said there are two directions the team can go following their Game 4 collapse. It's up to them to choose the right one. https://t.co/zE7LMsUyV5