Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo wowed after 1st battle with Spurs' Victor Wembanyama - ESPN

SAN ANTONIO — As Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo barreled his way to the rim in the final minute in Thursday night's game against the San Antonio Spurs, he tried to create space against rookie center Victor Wembanyama and rose up as he has done so often in his career.

But the result was anything but common for Antetokounmpo. The long wingspan of Wembanyama, the No. 1 overall pick, swatted the ball away and gave the Spurs a chance against the team with the third-best record in the league.

San Antonio's final shot, a corner 3-pointer by Tre Jones off a pass from Wembanyama, fell short as Milwaukee held on for a 125-121 victory. But the talk after the game was the battle between two players who are unlike any other.

In their first meeting, Antetokounmpo finished with 44 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists in 39 minutes, while Wembanyama had 27 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks in 26 minutes.

Both players had several highlight plays as they squared off until the very end. In one thrilling sequence, Antetokounmpo dunked on multiple Spurs at the rim on one end, and Wembanyama answered with a self-alley-oop off the glass on the next possession.

«He's special,» Antetokounmpo said. «He's going to be an extremely good player. He plays the right way. He plays to win. I've never seen anything like him.»

Wembanyama said Antetokounmpo was one of the players he watched the most growing up and called him one of the greatest players in the world.

«It's always extra motivation and I know I'm a competitor,» Wembanyama said. «So I want to go at everyone and be the bad guy on the court. So it was a great matchup.»

The Spurs, who fell to 5-29 on the season, fell behind by double-digits early in the first quarter in what looked like