The Phoenix Suns were completely overwhelmed by Victor Wembanyama on Monday evening.
Remarkably, he wasn’t on the court for an extended period.
Wembanyama came close to achieving a triple-double, directing the San Antonio Spurs to a dominant 122-96 victory over the Suns at the Mortgage Matchup Center. Instead of the conventional points-rebounds-assists triple-double, Wembanyama finished merely one block shy of that achievement.
He scored 40 points in the victory, secured 11 rebounds, and achieved 9 blocks along with 3 assists, all within just 25 minutes of play. Had he reached that block count, it would have marked the third occasion in his career that he achieved a triple-double inclusive of blocks, following a game in the Western Conference semifinals last season where he set an NBA playoff record with 12 blocks against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Wembanyama also accomplished this in 2024, making him the youngest player in league history to do so.
Wembanyama is now just the second player ever in NBA history to record multiple games in a single season with at least 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 blocks, joining the ranks of Wilt Chamberlain. He had a comparable stat line in another win against the Mavericks earlier this month, where he tallied 52 points, 24 rebounds, and 8 blocks, all achieved in 34 minutes.
As noted by The Athletic’s Jared Weiss, only nine other players in NBA history have managed to reach at least 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 blocks in a singular game. The quickest anyone else has accomplished this was in 38 minutes. Only Chamberlain has achieved this feat with under 20 field-goal attempts.
Since the 1980-81 season, only one player — Sleepy Floyd on Feb. 26, 1991 — has managed to score 40 points in fewer than Wembanyama’s 25 minutes, 21 seconds.
Wembanyama exhibited exceptional efficiency throughout the evening. He missed only four of the 19 shots he attempted, accumulating 22 of his 40 points in the first half, which granted San Antonio a 15-point advantage by halftime.
In the third quarter, Wembanyama secured his seventh block and merely shrugged his shoulders at Ryan Dunn as the ball soared out of bounds. Moments later, he followed up with an impressive finger roll, taking off from just inside the arc.
The Spurs found no necessity to keep Wembanyama on the court for a longer duration after that, pulling him early in the final quarter as they easily clinched a 26-point victory.
Before his exit, it indeed seemed as if he was just playing around with the Suns. They were unable to contain him.
Devin Booker spearheaded the Suns with 32 points, shooting 10-of-17 from the field. Khaman Maluach contributed 11 points off the bench, but they were the only two Suns players to reach double digits. The Suns have now dropped five of their last seven games, bringing their season record to 3-6.
Dylan Harper added 17 points alongside Wembanyama’s impressive 40-point performance. De’Aaron Fox also contributed with 15 points and nine rebounds. Following Monday’s victory, the Spurs now hold a record of 9-2, marking their ninth consecutive victory after starting the season with back-to-back losses.
Wembanyama is merely 11 games into his fourth season in the league, and it’s still early in November. Yet, he is already asserting a strong presence in the MVP discussion as the Spurs rise in the Western Conference. If Wembanyama maintains this performance, they will become an exceedingly tough team to overcome in the months to come.
