Wembanyama Powers Spurs Past Mavericks

Victor Wembanyama scored a career-high 52 points, grabbed 24 rebounds and blocked eight shots as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Dallas Mavericks 112-111 for their sixth straight win. The Spurs moved to 6-2; Dallas fell to 4-4. He is the first player since Bob McAdoo in 1974 with 50-plus points, 20-plus rebounds and five-plus blocks, and the first in the NBA play-by-play era to post at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in a half. His first-half line was 29 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks. He finished 16 of 28 from the field and 19 of 23 at the line in 34 minutes, with nine offensive rebounds. An early three-point play and dunk helped build a 32-26 first-quarter lead. Dallas cut the gap on a run sources put at 11-1 or 12-1 before San Antonio closed the half on a 19-3 run for a 68-51 lead. Wembanyama blocked three shots in 13 seconds in that half. Dallas climbed back from a large deficit reported as a 17-point Spurs lead or a 19-point Mavericks hole. Naji Marshall tied the game at 111; Wembanyama made a free throw with 24.2 seconds left. Kyrie Irving scored 29 and missed a contested jumper in the closing seconds. Cooper Flagg had 19 points and 10 rebounds; Dylan Harper led other Spurs scorers with 21. Wembanyama said he had not been feeling great lately and that tonight it felt like he got his legs back. Of the win he said it was good, with a few mistakes, and that it was pretty perfect for us. No center-rated coverage is in the record.