For the first time all season, the San Antonio Spurs locked down an opponent under 100 points. On a night when Victor Wembanyama finished with only 12 points, that defensive clamp, plus seven scorers in double figures, was more than enough.
San Antonio ran Utah off the floor 119-97 on Monday at the Frost Bank Center, a result ESPN’s game page logs as the Spurs’ fifth consecutive victory. The starters alone combined for 68 points, and the home side shot 60% from the floor.
Rookie guard Dylan Harper led the scoring with 17, followed by Stephon Castle with 16 and Keldon Johnson with 15. De’Aaron Fox and Wembanyama each had 12, and Devin Vassell added 11.
The French center’s line was unusual only in its restraint. He still grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked three shots in a quiet, functional performance, days after a 43-point outing against Minnesota. During the five-game streak, Wembanyama has averaged 28.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.0 blocks.
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Third-quarter blowout, early stranglehold
The game turned in the first quarter, when Utah shot 7-for-26 and managed just 16 points, a season low for the Jazz and a season high opening quarter for San Antonio.
Utah fought back in the second, hitting 5 of 11 from three-point range to cut the gap to 37-36, but could not retake the lead. A flagrant foul 1 on Darryn Peterson, called for a reckless closeout on Vassell behind the arc, sparked an 18-2 Spurs run that reopened the game.
San Antonio then outscored Utah 35-20 in the third quarter and never looked back. The fast-break and paint margins, 26-9 and 52-36 in the Spurs’ favor, told the rest of the story.
Lauri Markkanen paced Utah with 22 points and eight rebounds. Peterson added 14. The Jazz have now dropped five in a row.
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Six wins in a row, and counting
The streak did not stop there. Two nights later, Wembanyama turned in the kind of game the Spurs usually ask him to carry, posting career highs of 52 points and 24 rebounds along with eight blocks as San Antonio edged the Dallas Mavericks 112-111 on Wednesday, a sixth straight win confirmed by ESPN.
Dylan Harper added 21 points against Dallas. Kyrie Irving missed a contested 15-foot turnaround with three seconds left that would have spoiled the night.
Last season’s run ended in the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, per Basketball Reference. The Spurs now sit at 6-2, a half-game back of the Western Conference lead.
The next test is Friday, when Golden State visits San Antonio.
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