Victor Wembanyama had an incredible game, scoring a career-high 50 points and setting two records as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Washington Wizards 139-130 on Wednesday.
The game was tied at halftime and remained close until five minutes into the third quarter, when the Spurs went on a 23-6 run to take a 108-91 lead heading into the final period.
By then, Wembanyama had already surpassed his previous career high, set a new personal record with seven 3-pointers, and became the first San Antonio player to make at least six 3-pointers in three straight games.
Washington, down by 21 points in the fourth quarter, mounted a strong comeback in the last few minutes, cutting the lead to five with 23.4 seconds left but couldn’t get any closer.
Devin Vassell added 17 points for the Spurs, while Julian Champagnie scored 12 points. Harrison Barnes, Stephon Castle, and Blake Wesley each had 10 points. Chris Paul recorded 11 assists as San Antonio won back-to-back games for just the second time this season, improving to a .500 record after 12 games.
For the Wizards, Jordan Poole led the way with a season-high 42 points, just one shy of his career best. Seven players scored in double figures for Washington, including Corey Kispert with 19 points, Jonas Valanciunas with 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Carlton Carrington with 13 points.
Alexandre Sarr and Kyshawn George added 12 points each, and Kyle Kuzma scored 10. Despite the strong effort, the Wizards lost their sixth straight game.
Washington started slow but made a strong push at the end of the first quarter, outscoring the Spurs 22-7 in the last five minutes to close the gap to 32-31. San Antonio built its lead back to eight points in the second quarter after a layup by Wesley, assisted by Paul, with 6:07 to go.
The Wizards came back again, tying the game at 63 with a 3-pointer and a basket from Poole, and took their first lead of the game with a hook shot from Sarr. The teams exchanged baskets in the final minute, and the game went to halftime tied at 67.
Wembanyama had 24 points at the break, leading all scorers, while Poole had 19 points to lead the Wizards. Valanciunas also grabbed 11 rebounds in the first half to go along with his 10 points.
