While rocking the San Antonio Spurs‘ retro ABA-era jerseys, Victor Wembanyama had a performance for the ages on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks.
Wembanyama scored a career-high 52 points, which fueled the Spurs’ 112-111 win at Frost Bank Center. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year also matched his career-high in rebounds (24) and recorded eight blocks.
Wembanyama joins Shaquille O’Neal as the only players in the play-by-play era to record 45+ points, 20+ rebounds and 5+ blocks in a single game. He is the third player in NBA history with such a stat line.
Wemby Has Historic Night Against Rival Mavericks
The 22-year-old center got off to a blistering start and flirted with a triple-double in the first half. The Spurs star scored 29 points and snagged 15 rebounds through the first two quarters. He also had five assists and two steals.
Entering Wednesday’s matchup, Tim Duncan and David Robinson were the only Spurs players to reach 29 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks, and two steals in a game. Wembanyama did so in the first half on Wednesday night against the Mavericks.
Wembanyama is also the second player in NBA history with 50+ points, 20+ rebounds, and 8+ blocks in a single game, joining Wilt Chamberlain.
His monstrous performance against the Mavericks marked his fourth game this season with 5+ blocks. The rest of the NBA has six such games combined this season.
Wemby has swatted five or more shots in 58 games since entering the league in 2023.
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson told reporters after the game that the team is at its best when Wembanyama can “impose his will” defensively.
“We want Victor to impose his will on the paint and the rim every time,” Johnson said. “I mean, I think everyone knows what the ripple effects are for us or for the opponents when he does that.”
Wemby is Finding His Groove on Offense
We all know Wembanyama is the league’s best rim protector, but his offensive output at the start of the year has been equally impressive.
So far, the Frenchman has scored 23+ points in all but two games this season. He has scored 36+ points in three of his last four matchups.
Speaking with reporters after his historic 52-point performance, Wembanyama revealed that he has been dealing with an illness, but said that he felt stronger tonight.
“I haven’t been feeling great lately … tonight it felt like I got my legs back,” he said.
The Spurs have now won six consecutive games. The narrow victory over the Mavericks marked Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson’s 100th career win.
“We’re in a good spot,” Dylan Harper said after the 112-111 win over the Mavericks. “Obviously, we’re not nearly where we want to be at. But it feels good to … come back and win [six] in a row.
Victor Wembanyama Sets New Career-High in Points With Monstrous Performance