San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, left, drives to the basket against Portland Trail Blazers center Moses Brown, center, as forward Jerami Grant, right, looks on during the first half of a game NBA basketball in Portland, Oregon on Thursday, December 11. 28, 2023. AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
PORTLAND, Ore. — Victor Wembanyama had 30 points, six rebounds, six assists and seven blocks and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Portland Trail Blazers 118-105 on Thursday night to end a five-game losing streak.
The teams will meet in Portland on Friday evening.
Wembanyama had 30 or more points for the third time this season. The No. 1 draft pick scored 30 in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on December 13 and had 38 in a win over the Phoenix Suns on November 2.
Wembanyama put on a show in a match against his compatriot Scoot Henderson.
Victor Wembanyama put on a SHOW tonight as the Spurs claim victory in Portland! ????
30 PTS / 6 CER / 6 AST / 7 BLACK
Wemby is the second rookie in NBA history to record 30+ points, 5+ rebounds, 5+ assists, and 7+ blocks in a game (David Robinson – 03/19/1990). pic.twitter.com/0mtmHjD0fC
-NBA (@NBA) December 29, 2023
“It’s always important for me to play against great players, especially players of my age,” Wembanyama said.
Henderson finished with 25 points, four assists and six turnovers for Portland.
“His length is just weird, it’s like he’s hovering above you,” Henderson said of Wembanyama. “You can’t really feel it or bump it because of its length.”
Jeremy Sochan added 16 points and seven rebounds for San Antonio.
Malcolm Brogdon and Jerami Grant each scored 29 points for the Trail Blazers.
The Spurs never trailed, taking a 28-point lead in the first quarter and holding a 38-14 advantage in the second.
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“We never stopped the ball, we were always moving it and sharing it,” Wembanyama said. “The defense, we were all stuck on shifts. We had a lot of deviations, especially in the first half. These are details, but when you put it all together, this is what it looks like.
The Spurs shot 14 of 21 (67%) in the quarter, while Portland shot 5 of 23 (22%).
