Victor Wembanyama scored 11 of his 19 points in the third quarter as the San Antonio Spurs recovered from a difficult opening quarter and earned a 96-87 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday in New York.
Two days after totaling 42 points and 18 rebounds in San Antonio’s 117-114 loss to the New York Knicks, Wembanyama shot 7 of 14 from the field despite starting 1 of 5. The second-year center added seven rebounds, six blocks and four assists.
Julian Champagnie put up 10 of his 18 points in the second to help get the Spurs back in the game after they shot 4-for-25 and were held to 11 points in the opening 12 minutes.
Keldon Johnson added 15 points and Jeremy Sochan contributed 12 points and 14 rebounds for the Spurs, who shot 41.6 percent and allowed their lowest point total of the season.
Brooklyn, which lost for the ninth time in 12 games, was missing Cameron Johnson (hip) and Ben Simmons (rest). Cam Thomas (hamstring) sitting out for the 13th straight contest.
Keon Johnson scored 15 of his career-high 25 points in the fourth quarter for the Nets. Shake Milton added 16 points and 12 assists while Tyrese Martin contributed 13 points for Brooklyn, which shot 38.9 percent and allowed 20 points off 18 turnovers.
The Nets held a 22-11 lead through the opening quarter. The Spurs opened the second with a 16-2 run, and the game was tied 41-all by halftime.
Wembanyama hit transition 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to give San Antonio a 56-51 lead with 7:13 left in the third. Those triples were part of a 14-3 run that extended San Antonio’s lead to 64-54 on a layup by Keldon Johnson with 4:27 remaining.
Wembanyama sat for the rest of the third and the Spurs took a 74-62 lead into the fourth. The Spurs began putting the contest away in the opening portion of the fourth without a basket from Wembanyama as consecutive layups by Sochan and a trey by Champagnie opened an 87-70 lead with 7:03 remaining.
Wembanyama scored his first points of the fourth when he got the ball at the 3-point arc and threw down a one-handed dunk for an 89-75 lead with 5:45 left. He scored his final points by hitting two free throws for a 94-82 edge with 1:59 remaining.