Two nights after Luka Doncic scored 40 points against them, the Sacramento Kings face another formidable challenge when Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs visit Friday night for an NBA Cup matchup.
Wembanyama became the first NBA player since Bob McAdoo in 1974 to produce at least 50 points, 20 rebounds and five blocks in a game, collecting a career-high 52 points, 24 rebounds and eight blocks Wednesday in San Antonio’s 112-111 victory over Dallas.
Afterward, the 22-year-old declared his best is still to come.
“I haven’t been feeling great lately,” he informed the media after the game. “I’ve been sick for a while, and today I felt like I got my legs back. So it should be more like this more often.
“I can still do more. My shots weren’t falling.”
Wembanyama missed seven of his eight 3-point attempts. He went 15-for-20 from inside the arc and 19-for-23 at the free-throw line.
The Spurs begin a four-game trip having won six in a row. The second victory of the streak came in a 130-103 home romp over the Kings last Tuesday.
Kings star big man Domantas Sabonis held his own statistically against Wembanyama in that meeting, collecting 20 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. Wembanyama finished with 29 points and 10 rebounds.
Julian Champagnie backed Wembanyama with 26 points in the runaway win.
Kings fans have witnessed a 50-point, 20-rebound performance before. Their own Chris Webber put up 51 points and 26 rebounds in a 2001 home loss to the Indiana Pacers.
Wembanyama has played three career games in Sacramento, scoring 18 points in a win last March, recording 19 points and 13 rebounds in a February 2024 loss, and posting 34 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in a December 2024 victory.
Sabonis has played in two of those games, authoring his own triple-double (22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists) in Sacramento’s lone win, and a double-double (25 points, 13 rebounds) in the December 2024 defeat.
Sabonis had 16 points and 17 rebounds amid Doncic’s 40-point outing in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 116-103 win at Sacramento on Wednesday. The Kings have yet to win at home this season, going 0-3.
Sacramento experimented with a zone defense against Doncic, a strategy coach Doug Christie indicated the Kings could continue to employ against elite scorers.
“We just want to continue to add things,” he expressed to reporters after the loss. “(The zone defense) was something we added and we want to continue to build upon that. Players like Luka, they have the ability to play so many different ways. You have to give them different looks and continually keep them guessing.”
Sacramento has shown signs of defensive improvement, allowing 100 points in Monday’s 115-100 victory at Dallas and 116 against Los Angeles after surrendering at least 121 in each of its first six games.
