Victor Wembanyama posted career highs of 52 points and 24 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs edged the Dallas Mavericks 112-111 on Wednesday at Frost Bank Center. He packed a full night’s work into his first 17 minutes, and the crowd chanted “MVP” as he dominated.
A historic first half
Wembanyama started red-hot, scoring 10 of San Antonio’s first 12 points. He poured in 29 points in nearly 17 minutes of first-half action. The outburst was his second-highest scoring output in any half of his career, trailing only his 37-point first half in February against the Los Angeles Lakers.
More than half of his first-half points, 15, came at the foul line. He made all 15 free throws, tying James Harden (2019) for the most without a miss in a first half during the play-by-play era, which dates to 1997-98.
He also grabbed 15 rebounds and blocked five shots in the half, which San Antonio led 68-51. The 22-year-old became the first player to record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in a half.
Wembanyama’s rare stat line
Wembanyama finished with eight blocks, the most in a 50-plus-point game since blocks became an official statistic in 1973-74. He also became the first player with at least 50 points and 20 rebounds in a one-point win since Wilt Chamberlain in 1964. He is just the third player in NBA history with such a line, joining Elgin Baylor. He also became the fifth player in league history with multiple 50-point games at age 22 or younger, having scored 50 in a win over the Washington Wizards in November 2024.
Wembanyama also drew comparisons to another Hall of Famer. He joined Bob McAdoo, who did it in 1974, as the only players since blocks became official to post at least 50 points, 20 rebounds and five blocks in a game.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson praised the balance of his big man’s night. “Twenty-[four] rebounds, nine offensive rebounds,” Johnson said. “Excluding the 3s, he was 15-for-20 from the field, which means he was all over the basket area and around the paint. He was a man tonight, and his teammates rewarded him quite a bit. He got rewarded in a variety of ways by just dominating both ends.”
Defensive dominance
Perhaps the most eye-popping stretch came on defense. Over 13 seconds in the second quarter, Wembanyama swatted away three consecutive shots from Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford on the same possession. Flagg opened with an eight-foot floater that Wembanyama smacked into the crowd opposite the Dallas bench. Next, he blocked Washington’s pull-up attempt into a group of fans behind the Mavericks’ basket. De’Aaron Fox collected the third block of the sequence.
Spurs guard Dylan Harper was impressed. “If I got blocked three times in a row, I feel like I’d be pretty upset,” Harper said. “But that’s Vic. He takes pride on the defensive side and things like that are just natural to him.”
Dallas shot a combined 2-of-13 in the first half when Wembanyama contested its attempts, with the average field goal distance coming from 5.5 feet.
Ankle scare and late push
With 9:11 left, Wembanyama rolled his right ankle, causing a scary moment for San Antonio. He subbed out with the Spurs leading 94-87. When Dallas cut the deficit to one point (100-99) with 6:05 remaining on a Flagg alley-oop dunk, Wembanyama returned and closed the game with 10 points down the stretch.
Harper marveled at his teammate’s resilience. “He’s Superman,” Harper said. “He rolls his ankle and pops right up and acts like nothing happened. I’ve never seen [something] like that, but that’s a testament to how he takes care of his body.”
Wembanyama said he was “feeling fine” about the ankle. He called the play “the moment that stands out” because “both teams were really fighting at this moment, and they stepped up their physicality and forced us to step up ours.”
Earlier in the game, Wembanyama had said he was sick. “It’s just figuring things out,” he said. “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.”
Team impact
No player has produced more points, rebounds or blocks in a game this season than Wembanyama, who tied or set NBA highs in all three categories against the Mavericks. San Antonio outscored Dallas 87-64 while he was on the floor but struggled to a minus-22 when he sat.
Johnson said the team is finding its footing. “I think he’s settled into the season like we all have,” Johnson said of Wembanyama. “We just had to make sure we got to a good spot in terms of this team needed to get to where our feet were. There’s a lot with this team that has potential and there’s a lot this team had to get to the starting blocks for the season. We’re starting to finally play the brand of basketball that we know how and how we should play.”