Victor Wembanyama's monster game leads Spurs to win over Kings

Wembanyama scored 34 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, blocked three shots and tied a career-high six three-pointers in the San Antonio Spurs' 116-96 win over the Sacramento Kings. It was a stunning shooting night for the sophomore center, who went 6-of-12 from behind the arc.

How stunning was it? It was not only his second straight game with six three-pointers, but it came after he shot 14-of-62 (22.6 percent) in the season's first nine games. In his last two games, Wembanyama has gone 12-of-21 from distance, shooting 6-of-9 in Saturday's 111-110 loss to the Utah Jazz. Now, his three-point percentage is up to 31.3.

Wembanyama put the game away with a 12-point fourth quarter where he hit two three-pointers, assisted on a Sandro Mamukelashvili three and blocked a De'Aaron Fox shot.

It felt like Wembanyama's emergence as an outside threat was contagious, as the Spurs as a whole went 22-of-46 from deep. That's a season-high for the Spurs, who hit their previous season-high of 17 three-pointers on Saturday.

It's huge for the team, which is full of talented young players with inconsistent outside shots. Rookie Stephon Castle went 2-of-5 from distance Monday but is still shooting 22.2 percent. Keldon Johnson is shooting 25.6 percent, and the injured Jeremy Sochan is at 25 percent. 

A legitimate three-point shot will get Wembanyama and his teammates much-needed spacing. As will the return of Devin Vassell, who is 6-of-11 on threes since returning from injury and is still on a minutes limit.

But it was the shooting combined with Wembanyama's defense that made Monday's performance so imposing. The Wemby-led defense held Sacramento to 96 points, 21.5 below its average. The Spurs made the Kings miss a lot of shots, and when they did, Wembanyama was there, corraling 14 rebounds.

Wembanyama, who leads the NBA with 43 blocks (his closest competition, Chet Holmgren, has 26), became the first player in NBA history to make 10+ three-pointers and block 10+ shots combined in consecutive games. On Saturday, he blocked seven shots against the Jazz and their shot-blocking young center, Walker Kessler (third place with 25 blocks).

Now, the Spurs are a top-10 defense in the NBA, a big upgrade from their 22nd-place ranking last season. While Wembanyama's offensive skills were questioned last week, he's proved that his three-point shot can develop into a weapon. His defense already is one.