Spurs Win as Wembanyama Sets Records

San Antonio, Texas, Victor Wembanyama scored 52 points and collected 24 rebounds to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 112-111 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night. The performance marked career highs for the 7-foot-4 center, who also recorded eight blocks in the win.

Wembanyama achieved the feat while battling a virus and recovering from an ankle injury sustained during the game. He finished the first half with 29 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks. This statistical line made him the first player in the NBA play-by-play era, which began in the 1996-97 season, to record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks in a single half.

The Spurs point guard, Dylan Harper, praised the center’s physical resilience. “He’s Superman,” Harper said. “I mean, he rolls his ankle and pops right up and acts like nothing happened. I’ve never seen nothing like that, but that’s just a testament to how he takes care of his body, how he focuses on his mobility, treatment, all that. So he’s able to do things like that.”

Wembanyama shot 16 of 28 from the field, including seven dunks, though he was limited to 1 of 8 on three-point attempts. The Spurs were plus-23 on the net rating while Wembanyama was on the floor. This outing extended the team’s winning streak to six games. San Antonio had not lost a game since falling to Oklahoma City and Houston in the season’s first two contests.

The center had already earned Western Conference Player of the Week honors three days prior. Wembanyama stated he hopes to win the award again, noting that his goal is to secure it every week. He averaged 32.5 points during the current winning streak despite feeling under the weather. “I haven’t been feeling great lately,” Wembanyama said. “I’ve been sick for a while and today I felt like I got my legs back. So it should be more like this, more often.”

In the fourth quarter, Wembanyama rolled his ankle after stepping on the foot of Dallas guard Walter Clayton Jr. He left the court with 9:11 remaining in the game and spent several minutes stretching his foot and ankle on the bench. He returned to the game with 6:05 remaining. “I mean the moment that stands out for some reason. I don’t have any agenda I want to say, but it’s when I rolled my ankle,” Wembanyama said.

The Spurs relied on Wembanyama in the final minutes to secure the one-point margin. He recorded two putbacks in the last 2:39 of the game. After missing his first three free throws in the final 2:10, he made one with 24 seconds left to determine the final score. Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, who missed a 15-footer with three seconds remaining, noted the impact Wembanyama had on the game.

“He was making an impact for his team,” Irving said. “You can see his aggression has been raising over the past few games.” Wembanyama scored 10 of the Spurs' first 12 points, closing the first quarter with 15 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, two steals, and an assist.