Wemby equals 52-year-old NBA record

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 host San Antonio Spurs outlasted the Dallas Mavericks 112-111 on Wednesday for their sixth straight victory. The Spurs led by 19 points early in the third quarter before Dallas pulled within two with 8:17 remaining and then took a 103-100 lead on P.J. Washington’s 3-pointer with 5:38 to play. The lead seesawed from there. Dallas’ Naji Marshall tied the score at 111 with a 3-pointer with 1:41 remaining, and Wembanyama’s deciding free throw put the Spurs back on top. The Mavericks called a timeout to set up a final shot, but Kyrie Irving missed a contested turnaround jumper in the lane with 2.5 seconds left, and time ran out. Wembanyama also blocked eight shots in the win. Dylan Harper added 21 points, Stephon Castle had 17 and De’Aaron Fox scored 10 for San Antonio. Irving led Dallas with 29 points, while Marshall had 22 off the bench. Washington finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Cooper Flagg contributed 19 points and 10 boards. The Mavericks have lost two straight games. Wembanyama finished the first quarter with a flurry, converting a three-point play before hammering down a dunk to give the Spurs a 32-26 lead. San Antonio led 48-36 after a Harper 3-pointer at the 7:41 mark of the second quarter before Dallas reeled off an 11-1 run, capped by a dunk from Daniel Gafford that pulled the Mavericks within a point. The rest of the second quarter belonged to the Spurs and Wembanyama. San Antonio finished the half with a 19-3 spurt, with its star center totaling 29 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots to help the Spurs take a 68-51 lead into the break. 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 made all 15 of his free throws and reached those totals in just 16:37 of playing time. Harper added 13 points for San Antonio before halftime. Irving led the Mavericks with 17 points at the break, and Washington had 13.