Victor Wembanyama scored a career-high 52 points, and the San Antonio Spurs needed every single one of them in a close game against the rival Dallas Mavericks. Despite blowing a 19-point lead, the Spurs were able to hold on in the fourth quarter to win 112-11.
Wembanyama dominated the game in every aspect. He added 24 points and 8 blocks to his 52 points. In the end, it was his final free throw (after missing four straight previous free throws) that won San Antonio the game.
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Shortly after that free throw, Kyrie Irving had a chance to win the game, but missed a mid-range jump shot while guarded heavily by De’Aaron Fox. Irving led the charge for the Mavericks, scoring 29 points on 9-for-27 shooting from the field. Dallas got a spark off the bench from Naji Marshall, who went off in the second half for 22 points.
The win extends the Spurs’ winning streak to 6 games. Next, they’ll head to Sacramento for a rematch with the Kings on Friday.
Observations
The Spurs dominated the paint, outscoring the Mavs 62-40 in the paint and outrebounding Dallas 61-50. Both teams were hammering the offensive glass, as San Antonio grabbed 22 offensive boards, and Dallas had 18 offensive rebounds.
San Antonio needed to dominate the paint because they had one of the worst shooting nights they’ve had in a while. The Spurs shot just 39% from the field and went 5-for-36 from three, hitting just 14% of their deep shots.
There was a night-and-day difference when Wembanyama was on the court and when he was off it. He was +23 in the win, and Luke Kornet, the backup center, was -22 in his 14 minutes. That may be more indicative of how good Wembanyama was, but the team struggled mightily with the bench unit in the game.
Fox should get a lot of credit for his defense in that final possession against Irving. He kept pace with one of the shiftiest guards in the league and got a great contest on his mid-range jump shot.
It wasn’t Stephon Castle’s best shooting night, as he had 17 points on 6-of-20 shooting from the field. However, he responded late in the game, scoring back-to-back baskets when the Spurs needed them.
Dylan Harper’s athleticism…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/san-antonio-vs-dallas-final-054749454.html
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Publish date : 2026-11-05 05:47:00
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