Victor Wembanyama poured in 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in just 27 minutes, and Julian Champagnie canned eight first-half 3-pointers as the host San Antonio Spurs steamrolled the Sacramento Kings 130-103 on Tuesday.
The Spurs led by 10 at the end of the opening period and by 26 at halftime after a combined 47 points from Wembanyama and Champagnie in the first two quarters. San Antonio set league season highs for points (80), assists (23) and 3-pointers (13) in a half in a near-complete performance before the break.
Sacramento never got closer than 23 points in the third quarter as the Spurs carried a 107-80 lead into the final period. The visitors never challenged San Antonio’s lead in the fourth, but Sacramento’s reserves made the final score a little more respectable.
Champagnie, who played 25 minutes off the bench, finished with 26 points. Stephon Castle added 15, Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson scored 14 apiece, Dylan Harper had 13 and De’Aaron Fox tallied 11 for the Spurs, who won their second straight game in the first half of a home-road back-to-back that continues Wednesday in Utah.
De’Andre Hunter led the Kings with 24 points, Zach LaVine added 22, Darius Acuff Jr. scored 19 and Domantas Sabonis amassed 20 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. Sacramento has opened the season with four straight losses and has surrendered at least 121 points in each game.
The Spurs got 15 points from Wembanyama and three 3-pointers from Vassell in the first quarter, building a 12-point lead before settling for a 39-29 advantage.
The second quarter was more of the same as Champagnie kept shooting — and making — shots from distance. His eighth 3-pointer, and sixth of the period, pushed the Spurs’ lead to 68-43 at the 4:23 mark. Wembanyama crashed the glass for a final tip-in at the buzzer to give San Antonio its biggest lead of the half, 80-54, as the teams went to halftime.
Champagnie led all scorers with 24 points at the break, while Wembanyama had 23 as the Spurs shot 60% from the floor and 59.1% from beyond the arc. Sabonis paced the Kings with 16 points, while Acuff had 13.
