Victor Wembanyama and Julian Champagnie set the tone early, and the San Antonio Spurs never let the Sacramento Kings get back into the fight.
San Antonio rolled to a 130-103 win Tuesday at Frost Bank Center, piling up points in waves and burying Sacramento with a first-half burst that basically settled everything before intermission. The Spurs finished with seven players in double figures, shot the ball with sharp rhythm from deep, and picked up their first home win of the season to move to 2-2.
Wembanyama was the engine. The 7-foot-4 star scored 29 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, blocked five shots, and added two assists and two steals in another commanding all-around performance. After opening the season with the worst shooting night of his career, he has clearly found a better gear over his last three outings.
“I think we felt today what we were supposed to do and what we weren't,” Wembanyama said. “And we actually showed progress through(out) the game. So, I think - I hope - we can stick to the good stuff we did."
The first quarter belonged to him. Wembanyama came flying through the lane for easy finishes and had 15 points in the opening frame alone. He was fed on alley-oops from three different Spurs in the first six minutes, with De’Aaron Fox, Castle and Vassell each finding him at the rim.
"The strength of our team is, as an opponent, you have to take care of multiple threats ... this time, the lob was open early. That opened up my teammates later on."
That inside pressure opened the door for the perimeter game, and Champagnie walked through it in a big way. The forward poured in 26 points and buried eight 3-pointers, going 8-for-9 from deep before missing his final heat check. His first-half shooting display tied his own record for a half, matching the eight he hit against the New York Knicks in 2025, when he set the franchise mark with 11 threes in a game.
As the shots kept falling, the Spurs kept feeding the hot hand. They spent much of the half hunting for Champagnie looks, and he walked into the locker room with 24 points while smiling after an outrageous stretch.
"I thought our team did a good job of recognizing where he was once he got going," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. "We've had some time in the last few years where I think we've done a poor job of (finding open shooters).
Not intentionally. I just think we've grown in that aspect a little bit.
Tonight was an example of that."
"We've just grown the chemistry, grown the relationships," Champagnie said. "We all know where we want to be on the court... so, I think it's kind of a product of that."
The Spurs led 80-54 at halftime after Wembanyama got credit for a tip-in that was initially waved off before review changed the call. He had 23 points by the break on 11-for-18 shooting, with one steal and two blocks.
San Antonio kept attacking after the restart. Wembanyama buried Deandre Hunter at the rim for a dunk, then finished a fast-break lob from Devin Vassell to help force a Kings timeout early in the third quarter. He ended up with nine dunks, including five alley-oop finishes.
The whole offense hummed around him. The Spurs opened 8-for-12 from three, shot 59% from behind the arc in the first half, and finished at 46% from deep overall. The scoring dipped after halftime, but the damage was already done.
Dylan Harper added 13 points and six assists while going 6-for-7, including a slick alley-oop layup that he gathered mid-air and finished with his right hand after Wembanyama’s feed was a little off target. Vassell contributed 14 points and eight assists and hit his first three triples. Castle had 15 points and five assists, while Fox scored 11 and handed out six assists against his former team.
Harrison Barnes also delivered one of the night’s loudest moments with a poster dunk that lit up the building.
Wembanyama said the reaction on the bench caught even him off guard.
"I stood up so quick I started getting dizzy... it shocked me," Wembanyama said with a laugh. Asked why everyone reacted the way they did to a Harrison Barnes dunk, Wembanyama answered simply:
"Because we love him, simple as that," he said with a big smile.
The Spurs now head right into a back-to-back, traveling to face the Utah Jazz on Wednesday at 8 p.m. Central.
In Other News...
Spurs Suddenly Have A Tough Decision Behind Wembanyama
The Spurs are still sorting through the early-season edges of their rotation, and the center minutes behind Victor Wembanyama are already drawing attention after two home losses in the first three games. Mitch Johnson singled out rookie Tarris Reed Jr. for the energy and defense he brought against Dallas, a useful sign for a team trying to find steadier footing when Wembanyama rests.
Luke Kornet entered the season looking like part of that backup equation, but Reeds early showing gives San Antonio a different kind of option to consider. If the Spurs want more resistance and activity in those non-Wembanyama stretches, the frontcourt mix may not stay fixed for long, and that is the sort of decision that can shape not just a game, but the rhythm of an entire rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Suddenly Have A Real Chance To Upgrade Around Wembanyama
Injuries to Anthony Edwards and Jalen Williams have turned the Spurs roster-building conversations into something more immediate, and it has them looking at ways to sharpen the group around Victor Wembanyama. The appeal is obvious: San Antonio needs more defense and more dependable shooting, and the kind of upgrades that once felt like long-shot ideas suddenly feel more plausible when the market shifts.
Two names that surface in those discussions are PJ Washington and Royce ONeale, each offering a different fit for what the Spurs are trying to build. Washington would bring frontcourt versatility, while ONeale would add another wing who can defend and space the floor, but neither idea is simple, and any move would still depend on player availability and approvals before it goes anywhere. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Have A New Frost Bank Center Feel Players Are Talking About
The Frost Bank Center has a different look these days, and it is the kind of arena tweak players tend to notice right away. San Antonio has installed a new lighting system that puts more emphasis on the court while dimming the seating areas, bringing the building in line with what many other NBA venues already do.
Luke Kornet has already picked up on the change and talked about how it alters the atmosphere inside the building, giving games a sharper focus once the lights go down. Coach Mitch Johnson, meanwhile, has not made much of the adjustment himself, which only adds to the sense that this is one of those subtle arena changes that matters more to the people on the floor than the people running the team. [Read more 🡒]