SAN ANTONIO -- Victor Wembanyama helped San Antonio reach a franchise milestone Thursday, dropping a team-high 26 points with 18 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks as the Spurs rolled to the first 5-0 start in the club's history by way of a 107-101 win over the Miami Heat.
San Antonio saved its hottest start for its 50th season in the NBA.
"It feels great," Wembanyama said. "It's not random. We didn't get those five wins randomly. We worked for it. We started this season strong, and we need to keep that streak going for as long as possible."
Facing a red-hot Heat squad that entered the game at Frost Bank Center averaging a league-high 131.5 points, San Antonio limited the visitors to a season low in scoring, including a 14-point third quarter. Down the stretch, the Spurs watched a 15-point lead to start the final quarter disintegrate into a one-point deficit as Miami embarked on a 17-1 run sparked by Bam Adebayo, who poured in 12 of his season-high 31 points in the period.
Still, Wembanyama and the Spurs persevered, with the Frenchman logging all five of his blocks in the second half, including three in the fourth quarter. Wembanyama let out a triumphant yell to the sellout crowd of 18,702 immediately after falling to the court and flexing with 14.9 seconds left and his team ahead by five.
"That instant, I'm feeling like it's like the exclamation point when we have [a] 99% chance of winning the game," Wembanyama said. "It's just me feeding off that energy. It feels great because it was a hard game and it feels good to have this relief and to live that with these people. I was thinking about the 5-0 record, the Spurs' history and I was just proud of being a Spur at that moment."
The performance against the Heat marked Wembanyama's third career game with at least 25 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks, good for third in Spurs history behind Hall of Famers David Robinson (eight) and Tim Duncan (six), according to ESPN Research. Averaging 30.2 points, 14.6 rebounds and 4.8 blocks, Wembanyama is the second player in NBA history behind Bob McAdoo (1975) to average at least 30 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks through the first five games of a season since 1973-74, when blocks became an official statistic.
Wenbanyama wasn't the only Spur to excel in another tight game for San Antonio. Coming off his NBA Rookie of the Year season, second-year guard Stephon Castle chipped in 21 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals, and Devin Vassell had 17 points, nine rebounds and a couple of timely 3-pointers late.
"Honestly, tired of losing," said Vassell, a 2020 Spurs first-round pick, who hasn't yet experienced NBA postseason basketball. "I've been here for a long time and it's been a journey, I can say that. I've seen this happen many times. That team going on runs and maybe [coach] Mitch [Johnson] puts it on film that I didn't dive on the floor. Maybe you don't go for that loose ball. You don't do the little stuff. Those little things help you win these games, and that's what we need. The little details, the little minute things help us win games, and that's what happened tonight."
Aside from the 33-point drubbing of the Dallas Mavericks in the opener, San Antonio has found itself scrapping to preserve leads late in most of its games this season. But the Spurs have figured out ways to consistently outexecute opponents down the stretch.
"When we play against Miami, it's going to be a tough game no matter what," Castle said. "So, I thought we wouldn't want it any other way than for us to have to grind out and figure out how to win games. We had a lead in the second half, a big lead, and they came back and took the lead. So, you can never give up in games like this. I'm just happy to be able to show our grit and toughness."
Johnson said he shared the sentiment about his team but singled out Wembanyama for his impact defensively in the second half. The 21-year-old played nearly 40 minutes in San Antonio's most physical game to date. The Spurs' first four opponents -- Dallas, New Orleans, Brooklyn and Toronto -- have a combined record of 3-16. So, Miami (3-2) presented San Antonio its most formidable challenge of the season.
Wembanyama, meanwhile, handled the Heat's physicality and unconventional, lightning-fast style of play seemingly with ease. After the game, Wembanyama gathered with several teammates for his postgame interview, and the group ended it with a "go Spurs go" chant that rumbled throughout the building.
"If you go back and look at probably the distance he covered, he was setting a ton of pick-and-rolls and rolling to the basket," Johnson said. "The pace they play at is at breakneck speed. So, the game really didn't stop, and it was a physical game on both ends. So, for him to play through that, I thought there was one time in the fourth he got tired. We took him out. He came back, and I think it's commendable. For him to [play] 40 minutes at that level of consistency and efficiency was very impressive."