Victor Wembanyama amassed 30 points and 14 rebounds to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a rousing 144-118 win over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Friday to snap a four-game home losing streak.
Wembanyama didn’t flinch when going toe-to-toe with Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, standing his ground when Antetokounmpo tried to get physical with him on a handful of occasions in the fourth quarter.
It was easier for the second-year French phenom to stand his ground after the Spurs entered the final period with a 14-point lead and expanded it to 22 with 7:08 to play.
Keldon Johnson added 24 points for San Antonio, which won for just the second time in its past seven outings. Stephon Castle hit for 20 points, Harrison Barnes had 16, and Devin Vassell and Chris Paul scored 12 points each in the win.
Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 35 points and also took 14 rebounds. Damian Lillard added 22 points, Khris Middleton tallied 21 and Taurean Prince racked up 13 for the Bucks.
The Spurs led by as many as 11 points in the opening quarter before Milwaukee rode Middleton’s 10 points in the period, the final three on a jumper from beyond the arc with 3 seconds remaining, to pull into a 35-35 tie after 12 minutes.
The game went back and forth in the second quarter, with the Bucks eventually building a five-point lead when Middleton canned a pull-up jumper with 1:30 to play. Wembanyama poured in a 3-pointer on the ensuing trip down the floor before Castle hit a free throw with 37 second left to bring San Antonio to within 71-70 at the break.
Antetokounmpo led all players with 21 points and nine rebounds before halftime, with Middleton and Lillard adding 14 points each. Johnson paced the Spurs with 20 points off the bench and Wembanyama hit for 12 points.
San Antonio leapfrogged back to the front early in the third period and led 81-79 after a Castle 3-pointer at the 9:27 mark. The Spurs pushed their advantage to 100-89 on a pair of free throws by Castle with 4:15 to play in the quarter and to a then-game-high 17 points when Wembanyama tossed in a one-legged 3-pointer with 1:23 left.
