Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama out for Monday's game against Phoenix Suns

SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama will miss Monday’s game against the Suns at Frost Bank Center with a left ankle sprain.

Wembanyama scored just 13 points in 21 minutes of Saturday’s loss to the Suns in San Antonio. The top overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft averaged 23 points on 57.8% shooting, 7.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in three games against Phoenix.

“Just a force,” Suns All-Star Devin Booker said about Wembanyama after Saturday’s game.

Wembanyama scored a career-high 38 points in a Nov. 2 win in Phoenix. For the season, the 7-footer out of France is averaging 20.7 points and 10.4 rebounds.

“I think my favorite part about him is his mindset. Nowhere near soft," Booker said. "He's a competitor to the to the highest. You can tell after games that losing bothers him, and it's not something that he's gotten used to. I've watched all his mannerisms and watch how he carries himself, and he seems like a seasoned vet.”

The Suns (42-29) look to even the season series with the Spurs (15-56), who took the first two matchups in Phoenix early in the 2023-24 season.

Sixth in the West, Phoenix has won its last three games. The Suns continue their four-game road trip Wednesday at defending NBA champion Denver (50-21), the first team to reach 50 wins in the West.

The Suns are 1-1 against the Nuggets, winning the second matchup in overtime on March 5 in Denver without Booker, who was sidelined with an ankle injury.

'I get it': Bol Bol calls out referees for foul call in matchup with Victor Wembanyama

Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Victor Wembanyama out for Monday's Suns-Spurs game with ankle sprain