Victor Wembanyama continued his otherworldly play by scoring a career-high 50 points and setting a pair of records while leading the San Antonio Spurs to a 139-130 win over the visiting Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
The game was tied at halftime and was still even five minutes into the third period until the Spurs finished the quarter with a 23-6 run that gave them a 108-91 lead heading into the final stanza.
By that time, Wembanyama had already eclipsed his career high, had set a personal record for 3-pointers in a game with seven and had become the only San Antonio player ever to make at least six shots from beyond the arc in three consecutive contests.
Washington was down by 21 points in the fourth quarter but made a spirited comeback in the final minutes, cutting the lead to five points with 23.4 seconds left before running out of time.
Devin Vassel added 17 points for the Spurs while Julian Champagnie scored 12 points and Harrison Barnes, Stephon Castle and Blake Wesley had 10 each. Chris Paul distributed 11 assists for San Antonio, which won consecutive outings for just the second time this year and pulled to .500 after 12 games.
Jordan Poole amassed a season-high 42 points (one off his career best) to lead seven Wizards in double-figure scoring.
Corey Kispert added 19 points, Jonas Valanciunas racked up 16 points and 13 rebounds, Carlton Carrington had 13 points, Alexandre Sarr and Kyshawn George scored 12 apiece and Kyle Kuzma hit for 10 for Washington, which has dropped six straight games.
Washington trailed early but outscored San Antonio 22-7 over the final five-plus minutes of the first quarter to pull within 32-31 after 12 minutes of play. San Antonio rebuilt its lead to eight points on Wesley’s cutting layup off a Paul assist with 6:07 to play in the second quarter.
The Wizards swung back, tying the game at 63 on a 3-pointer and then a bucket by Poole and took their first lead of the game on Sarr’s hook 38 seconds later. The teams traded baskets in the final minute, sending the game to the break tied at 67.
Wembanyama led all scorers with 24 points before halftime while pouring in four 3-pointers. Poole had 19 points to pace the Wizards while Valanciunas added 10 points and took 11 rebounds over the first two quarters.
