Victor Wembanyama shook off an early injury scare to finish with 22 points and 10 rebounds, leading the San Antonio Spurs to a 119-101 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.
Stephon Castle recorded 19 points and 10 assists, and Julian Champagnie added 13 points and 11 rebounds for San Antonio, which pulled away decisively and led by as many as 39 points early in the fourth quarter.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 21 points for Milwaukee, which dropped its third straight game and suffered its second consecutive lopsided loss. The Bucks were coming off a 139-106 defeat to Minnesota on Tuesday in which they were booed at home.
Wembanyama briefly silenced the sellout crowd at Frost Bank Center midway through the first quarter when he went down after knee-to-knee contact with Antetokounmpo under the basket. The Spurs center stayed on the floor in pain before getting up and heading to the locker room unassisted with 9:18 remaining in the quarter.
The play raised concerns after Wembanyama hyperextended his knee in a similar situation on Dec. 31 against the New York Knicks, an injury that caused him to miss the next two games. This time, however, he returned to the bench by the end of the first quarter and re-entered the game to start the second.
Wembanyama responded with a strong second quarter, scoring 11 points with six rebounds and a block in just over 12 minutes. San Antonio outscored Milwaukee 35-26 in the period to take a 66-53 lead into halftime.
The Spurs continued to build the margin in the third quarter, pushing the lead to 37 points and allowing both teams to rest starters to open the fourth.
Kyle Kuzma finished with 18 points and Bobby Portis added 13 for the Bucks.
Up next:
Milwaukee visits Atlanta on Monday night, while San Antonio hosts Minnesota on Saturday night.
