Victor Wembanyama needed just 25 minutes to put on another record-breaking performance. The Spurs center scored 40 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and swatted 9 blocks in Phoenix, in a game San Antonio had decided before halftime and which he watched from the bench in the fourth quarter. The Spurs extend their winning streak to nine games and, at 9-2, sit second in the West, just behind the Lakers.
21-2 run before halftime
Wembanyama set the pace from the opening tip. By halftime, he had already posted 22 points, 6 rebounds and 5 blocks, and the Spurs, who won the first quarter 31-25, broke the game open with a 21-2 run in the second quarter to head to the locker room with a 15-point lead (61-46). The Suns led only in the opening minutes.
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Harper takes over in the third quarter
After the break, rookie Dylan Harper scored 14 of his 17 points in the third quarter, which the Spurs won 32-22 to enter the fourth with a 25-point advantage (93-68). The lead reached 34 points, and head coach Mitch Johnson was able to give minutes to the entire bench. San Antonio dominated in the paint (62-48) and in transition (23-10), and finished with 30 assists.
Wembanyama finished 15 of 19 from the field, including 2 three-pointers, in his second game of 40 or more points this season after his 52-point performance against the Mavericks. De'Aaron Fox added 15 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, and Stephon Castle dished out 7. Devin Booker scored 32 for the Suns, who had no answer in the paint and fall to 3-6.