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What was tabbed as the second meeting between suspected top NBA draft picks, Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson, was nixed almost immediately after tipoff.
After being up double-digits with under seven minutes left, a short-handed G League Ignite team dropped its final preseason contest, 112-106, to the Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 Thursday, Oct. 6 from The Dollar Loan Center.
Henderson logged less than five minutes before leaving the game, showing a slight limp after Wembanyama fell into his legs.
“I feel good and healthy,” Henderson told Marc J. Spears of ESPN and Andscape. “It was just a little bump and [I] wanted to be safe. Most importantly, I really just wanted to be out there for the fans fighting with my team.
“Thankfully, I am healthy and God has bigger and better things for me. I appreciate the concern and I will yall soon.”
The Ignite end its preseason run 1-1 after beating the Metropolitans 92 Tuesday night. The regular season is set to begin Friday, Nov. 4 with a home contest against the Oklahoma City Blue
“I think the future is bright,” Hart said. “If you look at the players that we’re producing, I think it’s top notch. I think it’s grown each year – I mean, this year, we’re playing 50 games so I think that’ll help our guys even more with the challenge of dealing with an NBA schedule.”
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Overall, Henderson played four minutes and 37 seconds in this one before being pulled from the game after banging knees with Wembanyama.
Not deterred, Wembanyama played more than 37 minutes, racking up another 30-point game, this time in double-double fashion. He finished with 36 points on 11-of-24 from the floor with 11 rebounds and four blocks.
Fifteen of his game-high 36 came in the first half of play as the Ignite took a one-point lead into halftime.
That lead would grow to as many as 16 in the fourth quarter before the visiting team put together its best run of the two-game exhibition series. Boulogne-Levallois won the quarter, 38-20.
Wembanyama scored 18 of his 36 points in that frame on the way to a six-point win for the Mets 92.
With Henderson out of the game, the Ignite were aided by balanced guard play to build a big lead despite the collapse late.
Guard Marcus Graves’ and-one early in the second quarter tied the game at 35 apiece. Fellow guard Cameron Young hit a basket to give the Ignite a two-point lead, their first of the game.
Young scored 11 first half points on his way to 13 points off-the-bench.
Young was one of five players that reached double-figures for the Ignite, just two days after the team accomplished the same feat against the same opponent.
Guard Aubrey Dawkins led the team with 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting with four made threes. As a team, the Ignite made 12 of their 34 attempts from downtown.
Forward Leonard Miller added 16 points while Graves and guard Mojave King chipped in with 15 apiece.