Victor Wembanyama had 29 points and 11 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs held off rookie Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks for a 135-123 victory on Thursday night.
Flagg, the No. 1 overall rookie, scored 32 points to extend his NBA record to four consecutive games with at least 30 points as a teenager. The 19-year-old joined Michael Jordan, Bernard King, Allen Iverson, and Jalen Green as the only rookies to achieve four straight 30-point games since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976-77. Dallas has now lost all four of Flagg’s historic games and sits in the midst of a six-game losing streak.
San Antonio saw contributions across the board, with seven players reaching double figures. Harrison Barnes led the supporting cast with 19 points, while De’Aaron Fox added 17, including two critical 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. Wembanyama’s sixth assist set up Fox’s second 3-pointer, giving the Spurs a 131-123 lead with 1:24 remaining. Stephon Castle finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, capping the game with a thunderous dunk.
Dallas also received strong performances from Naji Marshall, who matched Flagg with 32 points, and Daniel Gafford, who recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Mavericks played their first game since trading Anthony Davis, who had been sidelined with a left-hand injury.
Wembanyama was dominant early, making his first five 3-pointers and scoring 20 points by halftime as the Spurs built a double-digit lead. Flagg carried Dallas in the second half, scoring 22 points after the break and cutting a 13-point deficit to just one, but the Mavericks never managed to take the lead. Wembanyama finished 9 of 14 from the field, missing his last four 3-point attempts.
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The two teams meet again in San Antonio on Saturday.
