Wembanyama authors 12th career 30-point game in Spurs' win - ESPN

SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama produced his 12th career 30-point game, and his first this season Monday, in leading his team to a 116-96 win over the Sacramento Kings.

Wembanyama scored 34 points with 14 rebounds, six assists and three blocks in his 82nd career NBA game to become the sixth player in league history to rack up 1,700-plus points, 800-plus rebounds and 300 or more assists over his first 82 contests. The 20-year old joins a group that includes Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Sidney Wicks, Larry Bird and Blake Griffin.

«He makes shots every day,» Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson said. «He missed really good shots to start the year, and I understand why it's a talking point. But I don't think we ever waivered on him not making shots. I think it is just the percentages evening out at this point.»

Wembanyama connected on 6 of 12 from 3-point range against the Kings — which were playing on the second night of a back-to-back set — to match his career-high in made 3s set Saturday in a 111-110 loss to the Utah Jazz. The Frenchman drilled two of his first three attempts from 3-point range in the opening quarter and 2 of 3 in the second quarter as San Antonio carried a 38-29 lead into intermission.

Looking to inflict a large portion of his damage from the perimeter over the team's first 11 games of the season, Wembanyama shot 10 of 41 from 3-point range in the previous five contests before hitting 12 of 21 from deep over his last two. With the Spurs leading by as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter, Wembanyama cranked up the shot accuracy even more to close out the game, sinking 4 of 5 from the field and 2 of 3 from beyond the arc.

He whipped the Frost Bank Center crowd of 17,163 into