NBA: Victor Wembanyama, Spurs beat Jazz to earn third straight win

Victor Wembanyama, who was named a starter on the All-Star team for the first time earlier Monday, delivered a dominant performance with 33 points and a team-high 10 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the visiting Utah Jazz 123-110.

The win marked the Spurs’ third consecutive victory.

San Antonio led by only four points at halftime, but the Spurs took control in the third quarter, outscoring the Jazz by 12 points to build a 96-80 lead heading into the final period. The Spurs later pushed the advantage to 23 points when Julian Champagnie nailed a 3-pointer with 7:11 remaining.

Stephon Castle added 18 points, while Dylan Harper contributed 15. De’Aaron Fox scored 14, Champagnie finished with 13, Carter Bryant had 11, and Harrison Barnes added 10 points.

For Utah, Keyonte George led the team with 30 points, and Jusuf Nurkic added 20. Kyle Filipowski scored 13, while Svi Mykhailiuk and Isaiah Collier scored 10 each. Kevin Love also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.

The Jazz were without their season-leading scorer, Lauri Markkanen, who missed his third straight game due to illness. Utah has now lost four consecutive games.

Game Summary

The Spurs controlled the first quarter, building a 10-point lead before Utah trimmed the deficit to 34-26 on a Kyle Filipowski jumper with 6 seconds remaining.

Utah briefly took the lead early in the second quarter at 41-38, following a 3-pointer by Talen Horton-Tucker. San Antonio answered with an 8-0 run, capped by a Wembanyama 3-pointer, and later extended the lead to 57-48 on a Fox jumper with 3:20 left in the half. Utah finished the second quarter strong, ending the half on a 6-2 run to make it 61-57.

Wembanyama led all scorers in the first half with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Fox added 11 points. The Spurs also outshot the Jazz 54.3% to 40.9% in the first half.

In the third quarter, San Antonio pulled away with a 9-2 run, highlighted by a pair of free throws from Castle, giving the Spurs a 70-61 lead. The lead grew to 12 points when Castle hit a 3-pointer with 6:18 remaining in the period. Fox’s 3-pointer at the end of the quarter pushed the score to 96-80.

The Spurs then maintained control in the fourth quarter and cruised to the finish.

— Field Level Media/Reuters