SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — De'Aaron Fox scored 27 points and Victor Wembanyama added 26 to send the San Antonio Spurs into the All-Star break on a six-game winning streak after beating the Golden State Warriors 126-113 Wednesday night.
Wembanyama followed up his 40-point performance against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night with another strong outing to give the Spurs a 38-16 record at the break. After missing the playoffs the past six seasons, the Spurs have the second-best record in the Western Conference.
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San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, right, drives to the basket against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Golden State Warriors center Al Horford, right, grabs a rebound against San Antonio Spurs guard Keldon Johnson during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Golden State Warriors guard De'anthony Melton (8) grabs the jersey of San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox (4) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) reaches for the opening tip-off over Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, right, drives to the basket against Golden State Warriors center Quinten Post during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Keldon Johnson scored 21 for San Antonio.
Draymond Green had 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists to lead the Warriors. Moses Moody and De'Anthony Melton also scored 17.
Golden State fell to 29-26 heading into the All-Star break after losing three of five games with star Stephen Curry sidelined by a knee injury. The Warriors are hopeful Curry will return after the break as they look to make a late-season push.
The Spurs cut a 13-point deficit to four at halftime, but the Warriors opened it back up with three straight 3-pointers to begin the third quarter, with Melton hitting two and Moody one.
Golden State built the lead to 16 before the Spurs closed the third on a 24-8 run to tie the score at 94 on Fox's jumper at the buzzer.
San Antonio pulled away in the fourth. Wembanyama had an alley-oop dunk, a blocked shot and a 3-pointer in less than a minute midway through the period to open a 10-point lead. The Spurs held on from there to beat the Warriors for the first time in three meetings this season.
Spurs: Host the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, Feb. 19 in Austin, Texas.
Warriors: Host the Boston Celtics on Feb 19.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, right, drives to the basket against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Golden State Warriors center Al Horford, right, grabs a rebound against San Antonio Spurs guard Keldon Johnson during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Golden State Warriors guard De'anthony Melton (8) grabs the jersey of San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox (4) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) reaches for the opening tip-off over Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, right, drives to the basket against Golden State Warriors center Quinten Post during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Konnor Griffin endured plenty of emotions when the 19-year-old shortstop learned the Pittsburgh Pirates were calling him up to the majors just a week into the season.
Shock was not one of them.
“I'm ready for this,” Griffin said Friday, just hours before making his major league debut against Baltimore at PNC Park.
He certainly looked ready, delivering an RBI double off Baltimore's Kyle Bradish in his first at-bat to help the Pirates to a 5-4 victory.
The Pirates are betting more big moments are on the way after making Griffin the first position player to arrive in the majors before his 20th birthday since Juan Soto did it with Washington in 2018.
Just 628 days after Pittsburgh selected him with the ninth pick in the 2024 amateur draft, the athletic and mustachioed 6-foot-3 Griffin found a No. 6 jersey hanging in his locker at PNC Park and his name penciled in the seventh spot in the lineup against the Orioles.
On the surface, it seems fast. The reality is that Griffin checked every box — and checked every box quickly — while sprinting through the Pirates' system. The final steps came over the last week when he hit .438 in a handful of games for Triple-A Indianapolis.
Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly felt Griffin was “pressing” near the end of spring training, when he smashed three homers but also hit just .171. The club made Griffin one of the last cuts before the opening-day roster was set. Yet rather than sulk, he headed to Triple-A, made a couple of adjustments, and saw immediate results.
“He just went right down and hit his stride and was able to reset in a couple of days,” Kelly said. “Which again, for anybody, is really impressive, especially for a 19-year-old kid whose hopes and dreams were to make the big leagues.”
That doesn't make Griffin unlike the millions of kids who pick up a bat when they're in elementary school. It's everything that has come after it, however, that has set Griffin apart. He raced through the lower levels of the minors last year, hitting 21 homers, driving in 94 runs, and stealing 65 bases while showcasing the range to play one of the game's most demanding defensive positions.
Yet it's not just the tangible on-field things that won the organization over. Griffin has long carried himself with the maturity of someone far older. He married his high school sweetheart, Dendy, over the winter. And she was the first one he told after Indianapolis manager Eric Patterson called Griffin to his hotel room in Columbus early Thursday to tell him he was heading to The Show.
The next 24 hours were a blur. From the short drive from Columbus to Pittsburgh to the scramble for the Mississippi native's family to make it to the ballpark that's tucked hard against the Allegheny River in time for Friday's first pitch.
Finally, just after noon, Griffin was able to relax. He trotted out to shortstop and took grounders, his frame and arm making him look very much the part of the role he's been preparing for since he was 5.
Griffin's skillset has drawn comparisons to the likes of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., heady territory for someone less than two years removed from his high school graduation. Still, he's not getting ahead of himself.
“Today is the first day of carving out a legacy that I want to build,” he said. "And I’m ready to do that and try to be right up there with those top guys.”
Griffin is the latest in a string of high-profile arrivals in Pittsburgh, from reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes to rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler to catcher Henry Davis.
The future that's been talked about since general manager Ben Cherington was hired in late 2019 is finally arriving. And perhaps it's telling of how far the club has come that Griffin is joining a roster that has undergone a significant upgrade in recent months with the additions of All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe, All-Star first baseman/outfielder Ryan O'Hearn and veteran designated hitter Marcell Ozuna.
“This team is loaded,” Griffin said. “I get to come in here and just be a piece of this puzzle.”
Perhaps a very big piece. For a very long time. The Pirates and Griffin have engaged in talks about a contract extension that would lock him up for most of the next decade.
Griffin demurred when asked about it on Friday, though he made his intentions very clear.
“All I’m going to say is, I want to be a Pirate for a long time,” he said. "This is a special place and I’m thankful to be here.”
Perhaps most importantly because it means he can shed the “top prospect” label and stop focusing so much on his individual development and instead turn his attention to helping the Pirates make a playoff push for the first time since the mid-2010s.
“Now it’s time to take all the skills that I’ve learned,” he said, "all the adjustments I’ve made. It’s time to go put them on the field and go win some games.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin celebrates after hitting an RBI double, his first Major League career hit and run, during the second inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin (6) is introduced for his major league debut before a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin sprints for home to score a run during the second inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin hits an RBI double, his first Major League career hit and run, during the second inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin, right, follows manager Don Kelly, center, and owner Bob Nutting into a meeting with reporters before making his Major League Baseball debut in the Pirates' home-opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin meets with reporters before making his Major League Baseball debut in the Pirates' home-opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin meets with reporters before making his Major League Baseball debut in the Pirates' home-opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
