SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Victor Wembanyama delivered an outstanding performance, recording his first triple-double of the season with 34 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists, leading the San Antonio Spurs to a narrow 127-125 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. This win marks the Spurs’ fifth triumph in their last six games.
Devin Vassell made a significant contribution off the bench, scoring 21 points, while Chris Paul added 13 points to the Spurs’ efforts. For the Kings, DeMar DeRozan was the standout player, leading his team with 28 points. Sacramento had a strong start, establishing a 17-point lead in the first quarter and heading into halftime with a 65-58 advantage.
Despite Sacramento’s early lead, the Spurs fought back with a 19-7 scoring run to take the lead in the third quarter. However, the Kings managed to retake the lead, finishing the third quarter ahead 97-92. In the final quarter, Wembanyama continued to shine, hitting five three-pointers—totaling 13 points in the fourth alone. With the game tight, Paul made a decisive 3-pointer with just 20 seconds left, putting the Spurs ahead by two points.
Keldon Johnson had a crucial play in the closing seconds, splitting his free throws but managing to grab his own offensive rebound. Paul then confidently sank two free throws with only 5.5 seconds remaining, extending the Spurs’ lead to five points. As time expired, Domantas Sabonis managed to hit a 3-pointer for the Kings, but it only altered the final score marginally.
One significant takeaway for the Spurs was their impressive shooting from beyond the arc, setting a franchise record with 23 three-pointers made, completing 23 out of 46 attempts from that distance. Conversely, the Kings have struggled recently, suffering six losses in their last seven games, bringing their record to three games below .500 for the season.
A critical moment in the game came when Wembanyama’s offensive rebound directly set up a 3-pointer from Vassell, which propelled the Spurs to a 121-115 lead with under two minutes left on the clock.
Notably, the Spurs’ defense tightened after allowing a staggering 42 points in the first quarter, which was the most points they had given up in a single quarter all season. Meanwhile, the Kings had an exceptional shooting performance in that quarter, hitting over 70 percent of their shots.
Looking ahead, the Spurs will face the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, while the Kings will be hosting the Houston Rockets in their next game.
