Victor Wembanyama amassed 22 points and 10 rebounds in just three quarters and five teammates amassed double figures as the San Antonio Spurs dismantled the visiting Milwaukee Bucks 119-101 on Thursday to snap a two-game losing streak.
The Spurs were up by 13 points at halftime and rocked Milwaukee by outscoring the Bucks 40-16 in a dominating third quarter while expanding the margin to 106-69. The starters for both teams spent most of the fourth period on the bench as San Antonio finished off the win and the Bucks dropped their third straight game — with the past two by a combined 51 points.
Wembanyama’s point total included five 3-pointers in only six attempts. Stephon Castle added 19 points and 10 assists for the Spurs, with De’Aaron Fox hit for 18 points. Julian Champagnie racked up 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Dylan Harper scored 13 points and Luke Kornet contributed 10.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 21 points while Kyle Kuzma added 18 and Bobby Portis had 13.
The Spurs forged a 31-27 advantage after 12 minutes of play. Milwaukee started the second quarter with a 7-0 run that included back-to-back 3-pointers by Portis, the latter just two minutes into the period. The rest of the quarter belonged to the Spurs, starting with a 17-3 run over the ensuing six minutes. The surge was capped by a 3-pointer by the newly shorn Wembanyama and gave San Antonio a 48-37 lead.
The Spurs eventually pushed their advantage to 16 points when Keldon Johnson hit a pair of free throws with 3:28 to play before halftime. The teams traded baskets over the final stretch of the quarter with San Antonio taking a 66-53 lead into the break.
Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 16 points while Kuzma had 15 in the first half. Castle and Fox paced San Antonio with 14 points each before halftime and Wembanyama hit for 11.
Wembanyama hit three 3-pointers in the first four minutes of the third quarter to help the Spurs expand their lead to 25 points. A four-point play by Champagnie and then an alley-oop dunk by Kornet off a pass from Castle — the latter with 6:52 left in the third — pushed it to 92-61 and made the final 18 minutes little more than a scrimmage.
The Bucks actually made one more trey (17-16) than the Spurs, but San Antonio was much more efficient inside the arc, hitting 24 of 42 attempts (57.1%).
