Wembanyama Drops 40 in 65th Game, Spurs Lock In West 2-Seed

Victor Wembanyama scored 40 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in his 65th game of the season — the exact threshold for NBA award eligibility — as the San Antonio Spurs destroyed the Dallas Mavericks 139-120 on Friday night. The Spurs clinched the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and won the Southwest Division for the first time since 2017.

Wembanyama set the tone immediately, pouring in 16 points in the opening quarter with step-back threes and thunderous dunks. De'Aaron Fox contributed 18 points and 10 assists, while Keldon Johnson chipped in 17. The Spurs are 30-3 in some stretch this season — a level of dominance that has them firmly behind only OKC in the West.

Cooper Flagg put up a valiant 33 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists for Dallas, continuing his strong Rookie of the Year campaign. But the Mavericks have now lost 11 of 13 and are looking at a play-in berth at best. The contrast between the two franchise cornerstones — Wembanyama in Year 3 controlling games, Flagg in Year 1 learning how to lose — was the story of the night.