Wembanyama’s 52 points and 24 rebounds lift Spurs to 112-111 win over Mavericks

Victor Wembanyama scored 52 points, pulled down a career-high 24 rebounds and sank the decisive free throw with 24.2 seconds left as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Dallas Mavericks 112-111 at home on Wednesday to claim their sixth straight victory.

The Spurs home crowd hailed Wembanyama with MVP chants on Wednesday, and he also excelled on defense, blocking eight shots, three of which came in a span of just 13 seconds in the second quarter. “If I got blocked three times in a row, I feel like I’d be pretty upset,” Spurs guard Dylan Harper said. “But that’s Vic. He takes pride on the defensive side and things like that are just natural to him.” The 22-year-old Frenchman said: “It’s just figuring things out. Sometimes, you’re one step ahead. Also, I haven’t been feeling great lately. I’m sick. I felt like I got my legs back. So, it should be more like this more often.”

San Antonio led by 19 points early in the third quarter before Dallas rallied, pulling to within two with 8:17 to play. PJ Washington’s three-pointer put the Mavericks ahead 103-100 with 5:38 remaining and the lead see-sawed thereafter. Naji Marshall tied the game at 111 with a jumper from beyond the arc with 1:41 left, Wembanyama’s free throw put the Spurs back on top, and Kyrie Irving missed a contested turnaround jumper in the lane with 2.5 seconds remaining as time ran out.

Dylan Harper added 21 points for the Spurs, Stephon Castle scored 17 and De’Aaron Fox contributed 10. Irving led Dallas with 29 points while Cooper Flagg finished with 19 points and 10 boards. The Mavericks have lost two straight games.

“He’s basically Wilt [Chamberlain],” Harper said. “The other team tries to do everything [to stop Wembanyama]. They throw out any adjustment, every adjustment. It’s hard to keep big fella out of the paint. He’s so dominant when he screens and rolls. He knows how to get to his spots. He’s great at the free throw line. So, for us, it’s just how do we get him the ball and how do we get the low man away from him?”

Wembanyama made all 15 of his free throws in the first half and became the first player in the past 30 seasons to record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots in a half.