Victor Wembanyama went off at the right time on Monday night.
He’s leaving Chicago with another historic outing, and a win for the San Antonio Spurs.
Wembanyama dropped 18 of his 38 points in the final quarter, and hit back-to-back clutch 3-pointers in the final minute to lift the Spurs to a 121-117 win over the Bulls at the United Center. He also had 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 blocked shots and 6 made 3-pointers in the victory.
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Wembanyama is now the first player in NBA history to record at least 35 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 blocks and five 3-pointers in a single game.
But it’s what Wembanyama did in the final minute that made the difference. He caught a pass as the Spurs were bringing the ball up the court, took one dribble and then hit a 3-pointer in the face of Bulls center Nikola Vučević without any hesitation. Then, after getting a block at the other end, Wembanyama crossed Vučević up and got him stumbling on his heels before drilling another bucket from behind the arc.
The sequence was remarkable.
The Bulls managed just two field goals in the final two minutes of the game and finished the contest on the wrong side of an 11-3 run.
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Kevin Huerter led Chicago with 23 points in the loss. Tre Jones added 20 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Vučević finished with 11 points and eight rebounds. The loss was the Bulls’ third straight and fourth in their last five games.
De’Aaron Fox finished with 21 points to go with Wembanyama’s night for the Spurs. Stephon Castle added 19 points and 11 assists, and Luke Kornet finished with 16 points off the bench after missing the previous seven games with a sprained ankle. The Spurs have now won three straight and sit at 8-2 on the season.
Wembanyama, who missed the second half of last season with a blood clot issue in his shoulder, was averaging 24.3 points and 12.9 rebounds per game entering Monday. He’s had several big games already, including a 40-point outing in their season-opening win over Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks. The Spurs started the season with five straight victories, which was a franchise record.
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The Spurs will host the Golden State Warriors next on Wednesday night.
