Wembanyama Drops 52 as Spurs Edge Mavs 112-111

Victor Wembanyama put up a career night that the NBA had not seen in more than 50 years, finishing with 52 points, 24 rebounds and 8 blocks as the San Antonio Spurs edged the Dallas Mavericks 112-111 on Wednesday at Frost Bank Center. He needed just 34 minutes to do it.

Wembanyama had 29 points, 15 boards and 5 blocks by halftime while San Antonio built a 19-point lead. Dallas clawed all the way back, but Wemby scored 10 of the Spurs' final 12 points to close it and stretch San Antonio's win streak to six after an 0-2 start.

A Line From 1974, Done in 34 Minutes

He is the first player with 50-plus points, 20-plus rebounds and 5-plus blocks in a game since Bob McAdoo in 1974, per NBA.com Starting 5. McAdoo played all 48 minutes that night. Wembanyama did it in 34. A line of at least 50/20/8 is unprecedented since blocks were first recorded in 1973-74.

After going 5-for-15 on Monday, he attacked the restricted area and finished 16-for-28. All but three of his made field goals came inside. On the other end he helped hold Dallas to a season-low 38.2 percent from the field, including a stretch where he swatted three shots in 13 seconds.

Dallas Climbed Back, Then Wemby Shut the Door

Kyrie Irving had 29 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists as the Mavericks chipped away. Cooper Flagg threw down an alley-oop and-1 that tied the game at 100 and quieted the building. Wembanyama was already sitting on 42 points when that happened. He answered anyway.

"I haven't been feeling great lately. I've been sick for a while," Wembanyama said after the game. "And today, I felt like I got my legs back. So it should be more [games] like this, more often." He also joined Devin Booker, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James and Rick Barry as the only players with multiple 50-point games at age 22 or younger.

Spurs Keep Rolling

San Antonio is 6-0 since the 0-2 hole. A one-point home win built on a historic individual night is the kind of statement that travels. Dallas pushed every button and still could not get the last stop.

For a Spurs team that opened the year looking for an identity, nights like this are the identity. Wembanyama is not just the ceiling. On Wednesday he was the entire closing act.

Smacktok pick lean: Lean higher on Wembanyama's rebound total next time out. He just posted a career-high 24 boards while sick and said he finally has his legs back.

Fifty-two, 24 and 8 in 34 minutes is the kind of box score you send to people who say they already saw everything.