Wembanyama’s 52 points, 24 rebounds and eight blocks barely leave Dallas room

Victor Wembanyama supplied 52 points, 24 rebounds and eight blocks Wednesday night, and San Antonio needed nearly every bit of it. The Spurs beat Dallas 112-111 at Frost Bank Center in a game that turned an extraordinary individual line into a one-point escape.

Wembanyama set career highs in points and rebounds, according to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. The official NBA box score credits him with nine offensive rebounds, 15 defensive rebounds, two assists and two steals in 34 minutes, four seconds. He committed one turnover.

The scoring came from inside

His shooting explains how San Antonio survived an otherwise difficult offensive night. Wembanyama went 16-for-28 overall but just 1-for-8 from three. That leaves 15 makes in 20 two-point attempts. He also made 19 of 23 free throws. The Spurs as a team finished 5-for-36 from three.

That combination gave San Antonio two ways to recover possessions: Wembanyama could finish inside, or collect a miss and make Dallas defend again. His nine offensive rebounds accounted for a substantial part of the Spurs’ 22. Dylan Harper added 21 points and Stephon Castle scored 17. Kyrie Irving led Dallas with 29.

A rare statistical combination

ESPN reports that the eight blocks are the most in a 50-point game since the NBA began officially recording blocks in 1973-74. Wright also identifies Wembanyama as the second player in that span with at least 50 points, 20 rebounds and five blocks, joining Bob McAdoo in 1974.

Wembanyama briefly left after rolling his right ankle in the fourth quarter, then returned and scored 10 points down the stretch, according to Wright. The lasting number from the night is the smallest one: a single point separated the teams. San Antonio got a historic performance and still had to finish the game.