Victor Wembanyama matched his season-high with 41 points and had a game-high 18 rebounds in a record-setting performance, propelling the San Antonio Spurs to a 127-113 romp over the short-handed Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night in San Francisco.
Stephon Castle and Julian Champagnie chipped in with 15 points apiece for the Spurs (58-18), who used a 10th consecutive win to move within two games of the Oklahoma City Thunder atop the Western Conference standings.
Wembanyama’s 41 points came in just 29 minutes to match his season-best total from San Antonio’s previous game at home against the Chicago Bulls on Monday. Having totaled 16 rebounds in the Chicago game, Wembanyama became the first Spur to record consecutive 40-point double-doubles.
Nate Williams had 18 points, one off his career high, to lead seven players in double figures for the Warriors (36-40), who dropped 2 1/2 games behind the Portland Trail Blazers in their duel for ninth place in the West.
Taking advantage of a team missing Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, among others, the Spurs never trailed, riding Wembanyama’s 27 points and 13 rebounds to a 70-49 halftime advantage.
The Warriors never made a serious threat in the second half, electing to sit their top two healthy players, Draymond Green (21 minutes) and Brandin Podziemski (17), much of the final two periods on the front end of a back-to-back.
Wembanyama made 16 of his 22 shots, including 14 of 16 from inside the 3-point arc.
He also had three of the Spurs’ six blocked shots.
Castle also posted a double-double with a game-high 11 assists.
Harrison Barnes and Dylan Harper added 13 points apiece and De’Aaron Fox and Keldon Johnson had 11 apiece for San Antonio, which won its seventh in a row on the road, the last five by at least 14 points.
Omer Yurtseven had a season-high 17 points and LJ Cryer matched his with another 17 for Golden State, which dropped its second straight. Green, Podziemski and Pat Spencer finished with 14 apiece, while Seth Curry added 12. Spencer led the Warriors in rebounds with eight and assists with seven.
