Victor Wembanyama put together a night that would normally leave no room for complaints. Instead, after carrying the San Antonio Spurs past the Dallas Mavericks 112-111, the 7-foot-4 star was already looking back at the small details he wanted back.
Wembanyama piled up 52 points, a career-high, along with 24 rebounds and eight blocks to power the Spurs to 6-2 on the season. San Antonio had built a double-digit cushion heading into the second half, but Dallas chipped away and turned the finish into a tense one-possession game.
"I wish I set better screens towards the end and made more free throws."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 5, 2026
Victor Wembanyama after his CAREER NIGHT 😅
(via @ESPNNBA) pic.twitter.com/4pSTW6cpJK
That late squeeze seemed to stick with Wembanyama. In his postgame interview with ESPN’s Katie George, he pointed to a couple of things he wanted to clean up.
“I wish I set better screens towards the end and made more free throws,” Wembanyama told ESPN's Katie George in his postgame interview.
He opened the game by hitting his first 18 attempts at the charity stripe, but he made just one of his last five, and that left the door open for Dallas to keep the pressure on down the stretch.
Even with those missed chances, Wembanyama did more than enough to get San Antonio across the line. The rest of the Spurs struggled to keep up, shooting 31.3% from the field outside of Wembanyama, and the team connected on only five of 36 three-point attempts. In the end, it was a night where one player did almost everything, and still walked away thinking about what he could have done better.
In Other News...
Dylan Harper Said What Spurs Fans Are Starting To Believe About Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyamas latest night was the kind that forces even hardened NBA observers to stop and reset their expectations. He put up 52 points, 24 rebounds, eight blocks and two steals in 34 minutes, a line so rare it put him alongside Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to ever reach at least 50 points, 24 rebounds and eight blocks in a game. It also kept the Spurs rolling, pushing their winning streak to six and lifting them to 6-2.
For a young roster trying to find its identity, the bigger takeaway may be how quickly Wembanyama is turning awe into routine. Dylan Harper was among the teammates who came away sounding like fans, praising Wembanyamas dominance and drawing the Chamberlain comparison himself, which says plenty about the standard being set inside the locker room. The question now is less about whether Wembanyama can take over a game than how far San Antonio can ride nights like this while the rest of the league keeps trying to catch up. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyama Is Putting Dallas Through The Exact Show Spurs Fans Dreamed Of
Victor Wembanyama made the Spurs matchup with Dallas feel like a showcase from the opening tip, and by halftime he had already piled up a line that looked more like a full game than a first half. The rookie center scored 29 points on 7-for-12 shooting and added 16 rebounds, two assists, three steals and six blocks, giving San Antonio exactly the kind of two-way dominance its fans have been imagining since he arrived.
The Mavericks tried to keep pace through Kyrie Irving, who had 17 points and four assists, but Wembanyama kept bending the game in San Antonios favor on both ends. For a Spurs team still building around its new centerpiece, nights like this are a reminder of how quickly he can change the tone of a game, and how uncomfortable he can make even a veteran opponent look when the matchup tilts his way. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyama Could Gain A Huge Edge From This NBA Debate
Adam Silvers latest musing about the NBA possibly trimming games from 48 minutes to 40 has a natural ripple effect for the Spurs, and especially for Victor Wembanyama. The league has not moved on the idea, but the conversation alone is worth watching in San Antonio, where the roster is young and the pace already leans toward the kind of up-tempo environment that shorter games could accentuate.
Wembanyama, meanwhile, would hardly be learning a new format. He has already played 40-minute games internationally, which gives him a built-in familiarity that many NBA stars would not have if the league ever decided to make the switch. For a Spurs team still building around its centerpiece, even a hypothetical rule change could tilt the playing field in a way that fits both the franchises timeline and its most unique talent. [Read more 🡒]