Victor Wembanyama has had quite a career as he enters his fourth NBA season. But nothing compares to what he did on Wednesday.
The San Antonio Spurs superstar set a new career high with 52 points, 24 rebounds and 8 blocks in a 112-111 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. No player in NBA history has posted these totals since blocks became an official statistic in 1973, and only one other player has recorded even one 50-20-5 game (Bob McAdoo, February 22, 1974).
The game came down to the final possessions, with Wembanyama making a free throw to give the Spurs the lead and Kyrie Irving missing a potential game-winner just before the buzzer.
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It was a tough shot for Irving, who had PJ Washington unguarded on the perimeter, but opted for a contested jump shot that missed the rim.
Wembanyama was clearly in tune with the story from the start of the game, eventually entering the locker room after becoming the first player to record at least 25 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks in a single half. It was a dominant half for him and for the Spurs, who led by 17 at halftime and as many as 19 in the third quarter.
The Mavericks, however, came back with Cooper Flagg and Naji Marshall leading the way and at one point trailing by three in the fourth quarter. Spurs were then in dire straits, as Wembanyama briefly left the game with an apparent ankle injury.
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Wembanyama returned and helped Spurs hold on. San Antonio outscored Dallas by 23 points in its 34 minutes, and was outscored by 22 in the 14 minutes that backup center Luke Kornet played.
Not only was Wembanyama temporarily hampered, but he also revealed after the match that he was suffering from an illness. He said he was still sick Wednesday, but no longer felt as weak as when dealing with a virus:
“I haven’t been feeling well lately. I’ve been sick. Today I felt like I had my legs back. It should be more like that more often.”
Wembanyama scored 12 points on 5-of-15 shooting with 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks in his previous game, a win against the Utah Jazz. In the game just before that, he dropped 43 in another win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was the second highest-scoring match of his career, and it is now the third.
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The win improves the Spurs’ record to 6-2, tied for fourth in a competitive Western Conference. The Mavericks are now tied for 10th at 4-4.
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