‘He’s basically Wilt’: Wembanyama downs Mavericks with 52-point, 24-rebound classic

Victor Wembanyama set a career high with 24 rebounds, then sank the winning free throw with 24.2 seconds left to cap his career-best 52-point performance as the San Antonio Spurs outlasted the Dallas Mavericks 112-111 for their sixth straight victory.

The Spurs home crowd hailed Wembanyama with MVP chants on Wednesday, and he also excelled on defense. The Frenchman blocked eight shots, three which of came in a span of just 13 seconds in the second quarter.

“If I got blocked three times in a row, I feel like I’d be pretty upset,” Spurs guard Dylan Harper said. “But that’s Vic. He takes pride on the defensive side and things like that are just natural to him.”

The Spurs led by 19 points early in the third quarter before Dallas pulled to within two with 8:17 to play and then took the lead at 103-100 on PJ Washington’s three-pointer with 5:38 left. The lead seesawed from there. Dallas’ Naji Marshall tied it at 111 with a jumper from beyond the arc with 1:41 remaining, and Wembanyama’s deciding free throw put the Spurs back on top for good. Kyrie Irving missed a contested turnaround jumper in the lane with 2.5 seconds left, and time ran out.

Harper added 21 points, Stephon Castle had 17 and De’Aaron Fox scored 10 for San Antonio. Irving led Dallas with 29 points, and Cooper Flagg contributed 19 points and 10 boards. The Mavericks have lost two straight games.

Wembanyama became the first player in the past 30 seasons to record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots in a half. He also made all 15 of his free throws in the first half.

The 22-year-old Frenchman believes he can get better.

“It’s just figuring things out,” Wembanyama said. “Sometimes, you’re one step ahead. Also, I haven’t been feeling great lately. I’m sick. I felt like I got my legs back. So, it should be more like this more often.”

Harper believes Wembanyama deserves comparison to one of the NBA’s greatest ever players.

“He’s basically Wilt [Chamberlain],” Harper said. “The other team tries to do everything [to stop Wembanyama]. They throw out any adjustment, every adjustment. It’s hard to keep big fella out of the paint. He’s so dominant when he screens and rolls. He knows how to get to his spots. He’s great at the free throw line. So, for us, it’s just how do we get him the ball and how do we get the low man away from him?”