Victor Wembanyama scored 11 of his 19 points in the third quarter, helping the San Antonio Spurs recover from a tough start and secure a 96-87 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday in New York.
Two days after scoring 42 points and grabbing 18 rebounds in a 117-114 loss to the New York Knicks, Wembanyama shot 7 of 14 from the field, despite starting 1 of 5. The second-year center also added seven rebounds, six blocks, and four assists.
Julian Champagnie scored 10 of his 18 points in the second quarter, helping the Spurs bounce back after shooting 4-for-25 and scoring just 11 points in the first quarter.
Keldon Johnson finished with 15 points, and Jeremy Sochan added 12 points and 14 rebounds for the Spurs, who shot 41.6 percent and held Brooklyn to their lowest point total of the season.
Brooklyn, which has now lost nine of its last 12 games, was missing Cameron Johnson (hip) and Ben Simmons (rest). Cam Thomas (hamstring) sat out for the 13th straight game.
Keon Johnson scored 15 of his career-high 25 points in the fourth quarter for the Nets. Shake Milton added 16 points and 12 assists, and Tyrese Martin contributed 13 points. The Nets shot 38.9 percent and allowed 20 points off 18 turnovers.
The Nets led 22-11 after the first quarter. The Spurs started the second quarter with a 16-2 run, and the game was tied 41-41 at halftime.
Wembanyama hit two transition 3-pointers on consecutive possessions, giving San Antonio a 56-51 lead with 7:13 left in the third. This was part of a 14-3 run that extended the lead to 64-54 after a Keldon Johnson layup with 4:27 remaining.
Wembanyama sat for the rest of the third, and the Spurs took a 74-62 lead into the final quarter. In the early moments of the fourth, the Spurs began to pull away without a basket from Wembanyama, as Sochan’s consecutive layups and a three-pointer from Champagnie opened up an 87-70 lead with 7:03 remaining.
Wembanyama scored his first points of the fourth quarter with a one-handed dunk for an 89-75 lead at the 5:45 mark. He added two free throws to give the Spurs a 94-82 advantage with 1:59 left.
