Devin Vassell and Chris Paul combined for three 3-pointers down the stretch, Victor Wembanyama posted the third triple-double of his budding career and the San Antonio Spurs came on late for a 127-125 win over the host Sacramento Kings on Sunday night.
Wembanyama finished with game highs of 34 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists, his final two points coming on a layup that gave the Spurs the lead for good at 115-113 with 3:56 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Vassell made it a five-point game with a 3-pointer, then added another with 1:35 to go that put the Spurs up 121-115.
Paul dealt the critical blow with a 3-pointer with 20.7 seconds left, giving the visitors a 124-119 advantage.
The Spurs fought an uphill battle after allowing 42 points over the first 12 minutes while falling behind by as many as 17 late in the opening quarter.
They got as close as five before halftime, then finally drew even at 74-all about midway through the third quarter on a 3-pointer by Julian Champagnie.
The score was tied six more times, including a 113-113 draw as a result of a DeMar DeRozan jumper with 4:22 to go in the fourth before Wembanyama ignited the late San Antonio push.
Wembanyama’s 11 assists were a season best, giving him his first triple-double of the campaign. He also found time for three blocks on Sunday.
Vassell finished with 21 points, Champagnie had 19, Keldon Johnson supplied 17 and Paul chipped in 13 to go along with 10 assists for the Spurs, who won for the fifth time in their past six games.
Wembanyama and Vassell hit five 3-pointers apiece, helping the visitors outscore the Kings 69-36 from deep. San Antonio shot 51.2 percent overall, while Sacramento was at 46.5 percent.
Domantas Sabonis used 10 offensive boards as the foundation for a 25-point, 13-rebound double-double for Sacramento, which lost for the sixth time in its past seven games.
DeRozan paced the Kings with 28 points to go along with eight assists and three steals, while De’Aaron Fox had 23 points and nine assists, Malik Monk totaled 19 points and Isaac Jones posted 12.