Wembanyama has 32 points, 12 rebounds in return from one-game absence as Spurs top Hornets 115-102

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had 32 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and three blocks in his return from a one-game absence, leading the San Antonio Spurs to a 115-102 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday.

Miles Bridges had 22 points and Kon Knueppel added 20 for Charlotte, which had won two straight and eight of 10.

The Spurs have won 17 of 19 to tighten their grip on second in the Western Conference. San Antonio (49-18) is 7 1/2 games ahead of No. 3 Houston (41-25) and three games behind Oklahoma City (52-15) for first.

The Spurs closed their longest homestand 5-1, with their only loss coming as Wembanyama watched from the bench because of a sore right calf in a 136-131 loss to Denver on Thursday that snapped a five-game winning streak.

Wembanyama had an immediate impact with 18 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals in the first half.

Wembanyama lost possession on an alley-oop pass and hit the rim on his dunk attempt but he regained control for a follow-up slam that put the Spurs up by nine points a minute into the second quarter.

Wembanyama finished 13 for 24 from the field and 5 for 10 on 3-pointers. He is shooting 46.9% on 3-pointers in his last five games, going 23 for 49.

LaMelo Ball was 4 for 10 on 3-pointers, including a 27-foot runner that gave Charlotte its only lead at 13-10 with 9:50 remaining in the first quarter. Julian Champagnie tied the game 15 seconds later with his only 3-pointer of the game and San Antonio never trailed again.

Ball finished with 17 points.

Hornets: Host Miami on Tuesday night.

Spurs: At Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) drives to the basket against Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) dunks over Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

San Antonio Spurs forward Carter Bryant (11) scores over Charlotte Hornets guard Coby White (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates a score during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets in San Antonio, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates a score with teammate Stephon Castle (5) during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets in San Antonio, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Stock indexes were mostly rising in premarket trading on Wall Street Wednesday and oil prices rose modestly after Iran threatened to block Middle East energy exports in retaliation for the U.S. resuming its blockade of Iranian ports.

Futures for the S&P 500 inched up 0.1% before the opening bell, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average were unchanged. Nasdaq futures climbed 0.5%.

Morgan Stanley shares rose 2% in premarket trading after the bank reported revenue of $21.3 billion in the second quarter and profit of $5.6 billion, both records. That follows a slew of strong reports from big U.S. banks on Tuesday, with all of them to some degree crediting their trading desks.

It marks the second straight quarter of robust results from the banks, which have benefited from market volatility since the Iran war began in late February.

Coming later Wednesday is the government's report on wholesale inflation in June.

Stock price gains overall were moderate given worries that the United States and Iran may return to an all-out war. Renewed attacks in the Middle East have raised the risks of further disruptions of transport of oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing oil prices higher.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened Wednesday to halt all energy exports from the Middle East over the U.S. blockade. U.S. President Donald Trump announced Monday that the blockade was resumed as an interim agreement on ending the war unraveled.

“The export of oil and gas from the region will be either for everyone or for no one,” said the statement by the Iranian side.

Brent crude, the international standard, rose 63 cents to $85.36 a barrel, while benchmark U.S. crude gained 46 cents to $79.80 a barrel.

“The U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding signed last month has proved to be anything but. The two sides are once again exchanging military strikes, and they hold completely different views on the state of affairs in the Strait of Hormuz,” said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade.

“With shipping around the Gulf becoming increasingly fraught with danger, traffic flows are declining once more,” he said.

In early European trading, France's CAC 40 dipped 0.2%, while the German DAX shed 0.8% and Britain's FTSE 100 declined 0.2%.

South Korea’s Kospi led gains in Asia, surging 6.2% to 7,284.41 as prices rebounded from a recent sell-off in semiconductor stocks. Shares in computer chipmaker SK Hynix rose 8.8%, while those of Samsung Electronics surged 6.3%.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 1.5% to finish at 68,751.51.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.4% to 8,841.10.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng edged up 1.4% to 24,681.10, while the Shanghai Composite lost 0.3% to 3,955.58 after the Chinese government reported the economy expanded at a 4.3% annualized pace in April-June, slowing sharply from 5% in the first quarter of the year.

Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama

People walk in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A man walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A woman walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A man walks past near the screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), right bottom, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, right top, at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

The screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) is displayed at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)