Victor Wembanyama scored a career-high 52 points and grabbed a career-high 24 rebounds in the San Antonio Spurs’ 112-111 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday at Frost Bank Center, where fans chanted “MVP” throughout the night.
Wembanyama packed a full night’s work into his first 17 minutes. He racked up 10 of San Antonio’s first 12 points and poured in 29 points in the first half alone, which he finished with 15 rebounds and five blocks as the Spurs led 68-51.
“It’s just figuring things out,” Wembanyama 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.”
A historic first half
The 29-point outburst was the second-highest scoring half of Wembanyama’s career. Only his 37-point first half against the Los Angeles Lakers in February topped it.
He made 15 free throws, all of them, to match James Harden’s 2019 mark for the most without a miss in a first half during the play-by-play era, which dates to 1997-98. The 22-year-old also became the first player to record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in a half.
Wembanyama finished the game with eight blocks, the most in a 50-plus-point game since blocks became an official stat in 1973-74.
Joining rare company
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson praised the complete performance. “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.”
Wembanyama became the first player with at least 50 points and 20 rebounds in a one-point win since Wilt Chamberlain in 1964. He is only the third player in NBA history with such a line, joining Chamberlain and 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 matched Bob McAdoo, who did it in 1974, as the only players since blocks became official with at least 50 points, 20 rebounds and five blocks in a game.
Spurs guard Dylan Harper did not hold back when asked about the Chamberlain comparisons. “He’s basically Wilt,” Harper said. “The other team tries to do everything [to stop Wembanyama]. They throw out any adjustment, every adjustment. It’s hard to keep big fella out of the paint. He’s so dominant when he screens and rolls. He knows how to get to his spots. He’s great at the free throw line. So, for us, it’s just how do we get him the ball and how do we get the low man away from him?”
Three blocks in 13 seconds
The most eye-catching 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 sent into the crowd near Dallas’ bench. Washington’s pull-up attempt was next, blocked into a group of fans behind the Mavericks’ basket. De’Aaron Fox then collected the third block of the sequence.
“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 shots, and the average field goal distance was 5.5 feet.
A scare late in the game
With 9:11 remaining, Wembanyama rolled his right ankle, causing a tense moment for the Spurs. He subbed out with San Antonio leading 94-87. When Flagg threw down an alley-oop dunk to cut the deficit to 100-99 with 6:05 left, Wembanyama returned and scored 10 points down the stretch to close out the win.
“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” when asked about the ankle. He called the moment “the one 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.”
Impact on the floor
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 was outscored by 22 points when he sat.
Johnson said Wembanyama has settled into the season. “I think he’s settled into the season like we all have,” Johnson said. “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.”