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.
https://youtu.be/UEgxZtnIGXo?si=ezYfuZuQ4VUvW38T
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.
Read also:
- 52, 24 and 8 blocks: Wembanyama's historic night against the Mavericks (111-112)
- NBA Roundup: Aday Mara shines and Curry leads Warriors to seventh straight win
- Wembanyama and Tatum named NBA Players of the Week
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.