The San Antonio Spurs led the Sacramento Kings 38-29 after the first quarter, with Victor Wembanyama scoring 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, CBSSports.com reported. The Spurs’ 7-foot-4 center added five rebounds, one block and three dunks in the opening 12 minutes, while Sacramento struggled to finish at the rim against him.
Wembanyama opened the scoring with a tip dunk at 9:16 and closed the period with an alley-oop dunk with six seconds left, bookending a quarter in which he also hit a three-pointer at 1:57 and split two free-throw pairs. His three-pointer, assisted by Dylan Harper, gave San Antonio a 34-27 advantage with under two minutes remaining.
Spurs’ Young Core Paces the Opening Period
Rookie Stephon Castle contributed eight points, including a driving layup that tied the game 20-20 at 4:59, and Dylan Harper added seven points with a pair of free throws and a driving layup in the final three minutes. Devin Vassell hit three-pointers for nine points, and Zach LaVine scored six points, including a three-pointer assisted by Domantas Sabonis early in the period.
Sacramento’s offense ran through Malik Monk and Domantas Sabonis early, but the Kings shot just enough to stay within nine at the buzzer. Sabonis scored four points, Monk added six, and Precious Achiuwa chipped in four, but Sacramento committed a backcourt violation by Sabonis at 10:28 and a shot-clock violation with 3:59 left.
Wembanyama Alters Shots and Finishes at the Rim
Wembanyama blocked Dylan Cardwell’s hook shot at 1:35 and grabbed the defensive rebound, part of a defensive stretch in which San Antonio outrebounded Sacramento and forced several missed attempts. The Spurs also scored repeatedly in transition, with Darius Acuff Jr. finishing a running dunk assisted by Leaky Black at 7:49.
Wembanyama wasn’t perfect — he committed two turnovers, a bad pass stolen by Zach LaVine at 9:42 and an out-of-bounds pass at 1:20 — but his scoring kept the Spurs ahead throughout the quarter.
What the First Quarter Tells Us About the Matchup
The 38-29 score reflects a first-quarter pattern: San Antonio attacked the rim and hit five three-pointers, while Sacramento managed only 29 points despite Sabonis’ playmaking. The Kings’ bench unit, featuring Emanuel Sharp and Julian Champagnie, contributed six combined points in the period’s final minutes.
Wembanyama’s Scoring Breakdown Revealed
Wembanyama scored 12 points, on three dunks, a three-pointer and three made free throws, according to the CBSSports.com play-by-play.
The Spurs led the Kings 38-29 at the end of the first period.
Malik Monk scored six points, while Domantas Sabonis and Precious Achiuwa each added four.
The quarter ended with the Spurs holding a nine-point cushion, their largest lead of the period, after Wembanyama’s final alley-oop dunk with six seconds left.
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