Victor Wembanyama sat out a long-awaited showdown with Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, seemingly innocent enough, right? The Spurs said he would miss the game due to right ankle soreness. But one podcaster brought up an angle that Nuggets fans can only think of as a 4-D chess move, a move that would make even Greg Maddux stand up and give applause to.
Nate Duncan of the "Dunc'd on Prime" podcast suggested that the Spurs actually held Wemby out as a way to gain an advantage in the playoffs.
I think this actually gives San Antonio an advantage in a potential playoff series. Victor is just so weird to play against that not allowing Jokic reps to figure him out probably helps https://t.co/ettXbbabdJ
— Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) March 13, 2026
The tweet reeks of sarcasm, of course, but it's a fun hypothesis that pops into your head and makes you think twice when you know the Maddux backstory.
Greg Maddux once did Jeff Bagwell dirty
Greg Maddux once threw a meatball to Jeff Bagwell in the regular season when the Braves were up a bunch of runs, knowing that the Braves might play the Astros later that year in the playoffs. Bagwell crushed it out of the park for a home run.
Maddux knew that if the time came around again, Bagwell would be expecting the same pitch. The two teams met again, and it paid off. Bagwell whiffed against Maddux when he threw him something Bagwell wasn't expecting, and the Braves won the game and advanced in the playoffs.
Not exactly the same thing, but there always seems to be a baseball anecdote out there you can use to fit an example.
Jokic has played exceptionally well against Wembanyama
The pair has not met this season, but in six prior head-to-head matchups, the Joker has played at the world's best-player level Nuggets fans know and love. Jokic has averaged 36.8 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 8.5 assists on 55% shooting.
Compare that to 25.2 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 4 assists for Wembanyama. However, Wemby is the big winner defensively. He's got the edge over Jokic in blocks at 4 to 1.2, and steals 2.0 to 1.3.
In the end, it's a funny theory to consider
Wemby's nickname is the Alien, so it's fitting we get a conspiracy theory we can poke fun at around him. The reality is that he hasn't missed a game since January 3rd, and he was likely due for rest after the Spurs' 16-1 stretch entering the game. Load management via an ankle injury in a game with no playoff seeding implications for the Spurs just made smart sense.
But it's funny to think about. "The Alien ducks the Joker," sounds like a sci-fi action flick. But it was actually a small gift the Nuggets accepted and ran with on their way to a 20-point, come-from-behind victory over the Wemby-less Spurs. No conspiracy, no sarcasm. Just a hard-fought win on the road that the Nuggets desperately needed to have.