Wembanyama Leads Spurs Past Shorthanded Mavericks for First Win of the Season

Victor Wembanyama scored 23 points to guide the visiting San Antonio Spurs to their first victory of the season, a 122-106 win over a short-handed Dallas Mavericks side on Saturday. It was the second game in two nights for both teams.

Wembanyama also collected seven rebounds and blocked four shots. Dylan Harper chipped in 22 points, while De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle each had 19. Julian Champagnie added 12 off the bench and Devin Vassell finished with 11.

Rookie Sergio De Larrea topped Dallas with 21 points. Marcus Sasser, PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford each scored 12, Zaccharie Risacher had 11 and Naji Marshall added 10.

San Antonio held a 68-60 halftime lead, powered by 15 points from Fox, 12 from Wembanyama and 11 from Castle. De Larrea led the Mavericks before the break with 13 off the bench. The Spurs stretched the margin to 14 early in the third quarter, but Dallas answered by scoring 22 of the next 29 points and moved back in front at 85-84. San Antonio led 92-89 entering the fourth, after late three-pointers from Castle and Wembanyama.

Elsewhere, Joel Embiid recorded the 10th triple-double of his career, and Jaylen Brown scored 27 points on his 30th birthday, as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 127-116 at home. Embiid finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Tyrese Maxey scored 26, and VJ Edgecombe hit five three-pointers on the way to 17 points and 13 rebounds.

The Sixers are 3-0, while the Bucks dropped to 0-3 even though eight of their players reached double figures. Jaime Jaquez Jr led Milwaukee with 21 points, and Kel'el Ware added 19 points and 13 rebounds off the bench. The game was level at 82-82 midway through the third quarter before Philadelphia closed the period on a 15-5 run. The hosts led 113-98 with six minutes left, and the Bucks later cut the gap to three points with a six-point burst, but they could not complete the comeback.

In Phoenix, Devin Booker poured in 43 points with seven assists and seven rebounds as the Suns beat the Golden State Warriors 131-122. The result gave the Warriors their worst start to a season in almost two decades. Miles Bridges scored 16 and Dillon Brooks added 15 as the Suns set a franchise record for points in a home opener.

Golden State played without Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Draymond Green and Al Horford. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg scored 26 points with nine rebounds, and De'Anthony Melton had 20 of his 25 points in the second half. Brandon Williams added 20. Melton scored 13 in the third quarter, when the Warriors went on a 12-0 run to lead 73-71, but Phoenix recovered. Booker's four-point play late in the quarter made it 99-89, and Luke Kennard's three-pointer stretched the lead to 117-102 with just over six minutes remaining. Kennard finished with 11 points in his Suns debut after missing the opener with a knee injury.