Victor Wembanyama barely needed 27 minutes to make his point, and Julian Champagnie turned the game into a long-distance shooting clinic as the San Antonio Spurs buried the Sacramento Kings 130-103 on Tuesday.
San Antonio was already in control by halftime, then kept the pressure on long enough to make sure Sacramento never got any real foothold. The Spurs opened up a 10-point edge after one quarter, widened it to 26 by the break and rolled into the final period with a 107-80 lead. The Kings never got closer than 23 in the third, and the fourth quarter mostly served to make the final margin look less brutal.
The first half was the story. San Antonio piled up a league season-high 80 points before the break, along with season highs in assists with 23 and 3-pointers with 13 in a half. Wembanyama and Champagnie combined for 47 points across the first two quarters, and the Spurs were shooting 60% overall and 59.1% from deep at halftime.
Wembanyama finished with 29 points and 10 rebounds, adding 15 points in the first quarter alone. Champagnie came off the bench and poured in 26 points, with eight first-half 3-pointers fueling the runaway start. He had 24 at halftime, while Wembanyama had 23.
San Antonio got more balanced support behind them, too. Stephon Castle scored 15 points, Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson added 14 apiece, Dylan Harper finished with 13 and De'Aaron Fox had 11. Vassell also knocked down three 3-pointers in the opening quarter as the Spurs built a 39-29 lead after the first 12 minutes.
The second quarter belonged to Champagnie. He kept letting it fly and kept making them, and his eighth 3-pointer, sixth of the period, stretched the advantage to 68-43 with 4:23 left in the half. Wembanyama then capped the period with a tip-in at the buzzer to send San Antonio to the locker room up 80-54.
Sacramento had individual production, but not nearly enough to threaten the Spurs. De'Andre Hunter led the Kings with 24 points, Zach LaVine scored 22, Darius Acuff Jr. finished with 19 and Domantas Sabonis posted 20 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. Sabonis had 16 at halftime, while Acuff had 13.
The loss dropped Sacramento to 0-4, and the Kings have now given up at least 121 points in every game this season.
For San Antonio, it was a second straight win in the first half of a home-road back-to-back that continues Wednesday in Utah.
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 🡒]