Victor Wembanyama set career highs with 52 points and 24 rebounds and added eight blocks Wednesday night, carrying the San Antonio Spurs to a 112–111 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Wembanyama scored 29 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and blocked five shots in the first half. He became the first NBA player in the league’s play-by-play era, which began in 1996–97, to record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in one half.
The 7-foot-4 center finished 16 of 28 from the field and 19 of 23 at the free-throw line. Nine of his rebounds came on the offensive glass. San Antonio outscored Dallas by 23 points during his 34 minutes on the court, even though the final margin was one point.
The Spurs built a 19-point lead before Dallas rallied. Naji Marshall tied the game at 111 with a 3-pointer with 1:41 remaining. Wembanyama then made one of two free throws with 24 seconds left for the game’s final point.
Dallas had a final opportunity, but Kyrie Irving missed a contested turnaround jumper in the closing seconds. Irving led the Mavericks with 29 points, while Marshall scored 22. Cooper Flagg recovered from a difficult first half to finish with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The victory was San Antonio’s sixth in a row and improved the Spurs to 6–2. Dallas fell to 4–4.
Wembanyama’s performance was notable not only for the career-high scoring total but also for the combination of scoring, rebounding and rim protection. He recorded two steals and committed only one turnover while producing the highest-scoring game of his NBA career.
The result followed San Antonio’s 122–106 win over Dallas on Oct. 24. The teams are scheduled to meet again later in the season.
Sources: - NBA official game page and box score: https://www.nba.com/game/dal-vs-sas-0022600184 - Associated Press final report: https://www.bastillepost.com/global/article/6328030-wembanyama-has-career-highs-of-52-points-24-rebounds-as-spurs-hold-off-mavericks-112-111