SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The San Antonio Spurs return to the floor at home against the Utah Jazz riding a four-game winning streak, and the man driving it is coming off one of the best nights of his career.
Victor Wembanyama poured in 43 points on Saturday night in a 121-111 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, hitting 17 of his 34 shots and adding seven rebounds, six blocked shots and four assists. It was his 10th regular-season game with 40 or more points.
He had help. Rookie guard Dylan Harper scored 25 points with six assists, and De’Aaron Fox chipped in 20. The win opened a three-game homestand and lifted San Antonio to 4-2, sixth in the Western Conference.
Utah comes in at 1-5 and 14th in the West. The two teams met just days ago, when the Spurs won 117-111 in overtime on Oct. 29. Wembanyama scored 36 in that game, while Keyonte George led the Jazz with 31.
San Antonio will again be without forward Tobias Harris, who is out with a calf injury, and Jayden Quaintance, who is sidelined with a knee problem. The Jazz are missing Jusuf Nurkic with a foot injury and Jaren Jackson Jr. with a knee injury.
The Spurs set a high bar a year ago, going 62-20 overall, while Utah won just 22 games. Against Minnesota, San Antonio broke the game open with a 13-4 run to start the second half.
Wembanyama reached 40 in style against Minnesota. He swatted a 3-point try by Jonathan Kuminga, sprinted the length of the court and finished with a two-handed dunk. The Timberwolves played without starters Anthony Edwards, who had knee surgery, and Rudy Gobert, who has back spasms, and Ayo Dosunmu led them with 27 points.
Ball movement has been a calling card for this group. Last season the Spurs handed out 28.1 assists per game, and Utah has been built around pace and paint scoring, averaging 52.7 points in the lane a year ago.
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