Victor Wembanyama scores season-high 40 as Spurs bury depleted Lakers

LOS ANGELES — Victor Wembanyama is still a few days away from All-Star Game glow.

But against a Lakers squad that was playing without Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton on Tuesday night, the 7-foot-4 San Antonio Spurs phenom started the festivities early.

The Frenchman is an enigma, a star, a staggering talent who will be fostered in the heart of Texas for years to come. He had 21 points before he missed a shot from the field, already a career-high for points in a quarter before finishing the period with 25 points in fewer than eight minutes on the court. By halftime, with San Antonio leading by 29, the former NBA Rookie of the Year had 37 points – the most in a half by any NBA player since October 2024.

“He’s one of the five best players in the world,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.

The night was young, the start of a grueling journey to back-to-back defeats in the Lakers’ penultimate game before the All-Star break. Wembanyama, who seems to be getting taller and stronger year by year, finished with a season-high 40 points (on 13-of-20 shooting) and 12 rebounds as a rag-tag group of Lakers played 48 minutes of undermanned, undersized basketball in a 136-108 defeat. Wembanyama played only the first eight minutes of the second half.

“He makes me feel like a normal-sized dude,” said 6-10 forward Drew Timme, who tied for a team-high with 14 points. “It’s crazy. But, I mean, to have that size, coordination, athleticism, I mean, it’s, it’s crazy. … There’s a lot of tall dudes that can’t do that, you know, and I think that’s what really separates him.”

How do you guard Wembanyama?

“Wemby is Wemby. He’s going to have nights like that and tonight was one of those nights,” said guard Kobe Bufkin, who made his first-career start on Tuesday night and was drafted in the same 2023 rookie class as Wembanyama. “… We knew what he was going to be, who he was. When he walked in (at the NBA draft), he had that big-ass draft suit on.”

“It’s something else for sure,” 6-2 guard Bronny James said of Wembanyama. “It’s definitely a challenge, but I’m up for anything.”

The challenge was accepted, sure. But the result was a brutal denial. The Lakers (32-21) had no answers; nowhere close to a winning recipe, getting outrebounded 45-34 and turning the ball over 17 times, compared to the Spurs’ 12 gaffes. With all four of their primary ball-handlers out, Bufkin (24 minutes, 2-of-10 shooting) and Nick Smith Jr. (17 minutes, 3-of-8 shooting) shared point guard duties for the most part, combining for 13 points as their reserve roles turned mere prime-time suggestions against the Spurs (37-16), who are in second place in the Western Conference.

Lakers forward Jake LaRavia, who had a team-best 10 points at halftime, fouled out of the game just a few minutes into the third quarter. Backup big men Jaxson Hayes and Maxi Kleber played much of the night with three or four fouls each. Neither post player reached 20 minutes. Guard Luke Kennard, in just his third game with the team, scored 14 points in 28 minutes, tying Timme for the team lead.

In a late-game highlight, rookie forward Adou Thiero provided a rare opportunity for Laker fans to cheer, catching a Bronny James underhand lob for an alley-oop dunk through contact. The 21-year-old Arkansas product, who had been out since late-December with a right MCL sprain, showcased hustle too – saving a ball from going out of bounds to set up a Timme layup on the other end.

The Lakers turned in a 12-0 run against the back of the Spurs’ bench to bring the score to 117-96 midway through the fourth quarter.

“It always feels good to leave the game without a donut,” said Thiero, who had three points in 10 minutes.

Thiero’s re-introduction, a spark where the Lakers truly did need something to power them through the final buzzer, however, came far too little, far too late.

“Not a lot to take away,” said Redick, who bemoaned the season-high 84 points the Lakers conceded in the first half, “other than, you know, we suck at defense.”

A day off is ahead for the Lakers before turning their attention to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night. Doncic is currently “day-to-day” with a “mild” left hamstring strain leading into the game against his former squad, Redick reiterated before Tuesday’s game.

James sat out with left foot arthritis, while Smart (right ankle soreness) and Ayton (right knee soreness) were nursing their own ailments and Reaves was given the second night of a back-to-back off as he works his way back from the left calf injury that sidelined him for 5½ weeks until his recent return.

NOTES

Wembanyama became the third NBA player in the past 50 seasons to score at least 40 points while playing 27 minutes or fewer. … Bronny James had 12 points and six assists for the Lakers. … Carter Bryant scored a career-high 16 points and Dylan Harper added 15 for the Spurs, who won for the 10th time in the past 13 games.

WEMBY HAD A CAREER NIGHT IN JUST 26 MINUTES OF PLAY

40 PTS (37 PTS in first half)
12 REB
2 STL
4 3PM

5 wins in a row for the @spurs! pic.twitter.com/YJ70hJywma

— NBA (@NBA) February 11, 2026

JJ Redick talks to the media after the #Lakers lose to the San Antonio Spurs, 136-108. pic.twitter.com/WwvdemUhVh

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) February 11, 2026