Wembanyama scores career-high 52 points as Spurs beat Mavericks 112-111

Career night in San Antonio

The San Antonio Spurs beat the Dallas Mavericks 112-111 on Wednesday, 4 November, with Victor Wembanyama scoring a career-high 52 points. The 22-year-old French center also collected 24 rebounds and eight blocked shots, passing the 50-point best he had set in 2024. He shot 16 of 28 from the field, including seven dunks, but made only one of eight three-pointers. Wembanyama also made the decisive free throw with 24 seconds left on the clock. He had been playing through a virus and had rolled an ankle in the fourth quarter.

A dominant first half

At halftime Wembanyama had 29 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks, a first-half line no player had reached since league play-by-play tracking started in 1996-97 (at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks). He scored 10 of San Antonio's first 12 points, and the Spurs were plus-23 with him on the floor. He closed the first quarter with 15 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, two steals and an assist.

Dallas rally and the final seconds

Dallas recovered from a 19-point deficit and had a chance to win the game. Kyrie Irving's shot with three seconds left missed its target by a wide margin. Irving led Dallas with 29 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Naji Marshall added 22 points, P.J. Washington recorded 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Cooper Flagg finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Streak and reaction

The Spurs have won six straight and improved to 6-2, after losing their first two games to Oklahoma City and Houston. Wembanyama averaged 32.5 points during the streak while battling the virus. Spurs point guard Dylan Harper described the ankle injury and the reaction it drew.

“I mean, he rolls his ankle and pops right up and acts like nothing happened.”

Wembanyama said he had been sick for a while and felt his legs return in the game. He also said he could still play better.

“I mean, my shots weren't falling tonight and that forces me into a style of play that is exhausting.”

Charles Barkley, the former Phoenix Suns star who now works as a TV analyst, urged Americans to watch the performance and said he was lost for words.

Other results on the night of 4 November

Luka Doncic scored 40 points as the Lakers beat Sacramento 116-103, reaching 308 points for the season. He became the first player to pass 300 points in his first eight games of a season since Michael Jordan, who reached 303 in 1988-89. Philadelphia beat Detroit 112-106, with Jaylen Brown scoring 30 and Joel Embiid adding 26, and the 76ers now hold the league's best record at 8-1. The Knicks beat Chicago 135-105 to improve to 4-4, while Denver beat Toronto 128-109, with Nikola Jokic finishing with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.

Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)52

Luka Doncic (Lakers)40

Jaylen Brown (76ers)30

Kyrie Irving (Mavericks)29

Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)

52 points

Luka Doncic (Lakers)

40 points

Jaylen Brown (76ers)

30 points

Kyrie Irving (Mavericks)

29 points

Data from the article text