San Antonio, Texas: Spurs Beat Mavericks 112-111 as Wembanyama Scores 52 With 24 Rebounds and 8 Blocks

San Antonio beat Dallas 112-111 on Wednesday night at Frost Bank Center, in a Texas matchup that turned into a one man show and then a one point finish. Victor Wembanyama finished with 52 points, 24 rebounds and 8 blocks in 34 minutes. His second free throw with 24 seconds left stood as the winning point, after Naji Marshall had tied the game at 111-111 with a 3-pointer with 1:41 to play.

A first half not seen since 1997-98

Wembanyama scored 29 points in the first half as San Antonio led 68-51 at the break. All seven of his made field goals in the half came inside the restricted area, and he made all 15 of his free throws. USA Today reported that he became the first player since the 1997-98 season to record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks in a single half. Spurs public relations staff, as reported by ClutchPoints, put his half at 29 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks, the first half of 25, 15 and 5 in league history. Late in the second quarter he blocked three Dallas shots in 13 seconds. San Antonio pushed the lead to 19 points early in the third quarter, at 73-54.

Dallas climbs back

Dallas outscored San Antonio 29-22 in the third quarter and 31-22 in the fourth. Kyrie Irving led the Mavericks with 29 points. Naji Marshall scored 22 points off the bench on 9 of 12 shooting, and P.J. Washington added 21 points and 10 rebounds. Cooper Flagg scored 4 points on 1 of 11 shooting in the first half and finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Through three quarters, Wembanyama already had 40 points, 19 rebounds and 7 blocks, and he had made all 18 of his free throws at that point.

The last two minutes

Marshall tied the game at 111-111 with his 3-pointer off a Flagg pass with 1:41 left. Marshall then lost the ball to a Devin Vassell steal with 1:24 to play, De'Aaron Fox missed a pull-up jumper, and Washington fouled Wembanyama with 24 seconds left. Wembanyama missed the first free throw and made the second. Dallas did not score again.

Dylan Harper scored 21 points for San Antonio. Stephon Castle added 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Fox scored 10 points. San Antonio outscored Dallas 62-40 in the paint and made 33 of 39 free throws, against 19 of 26 for Dallas.

The win was San Antonio's sixth straight, and it moved the Spurs to 6-2. Dallas fell to 4-4. San Antonio also won the first meeting of the season, 122-106 in Dallas on October 24. Dallas returns home on Friday to host Utah.