SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama was battling a virus, rolled his ankle in the fourth quarter and does not believe he is playing his best. All of which made the San Antonio Spurs star's historic outing against the Dallas Mavericks even more astounding.
After establishing a league milestone in the first half, Wembanyama finished with career highs of 52 points and 24 rebounds along with eight blocks to lead the Spurs past the Mavericks 112-111 on Wednesday night.
Wembanyama had 29 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks in the first half to become the first player since the NBA’s play-by-play era began in 1996-97 with at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in a half.
He's the first player to reach 50 points and 20 rebounds in a one-point win since Wilt Chamberlain in 1964.
“He’s Superman,” Spurs point guard Dylan Harper said. “I mean, he rolls his ankle and pops right up and acts like nothing happened. I’ve never seen nothing like that, but that’s just a testament to how he takes care of his body, how he focuses on his mobility, treatment, all that. So he’s able to do things like that.”
San Antonio was plus-23 when Wembanyama was on the court. The 7-foot-4 center from France was 16 for 28 from the field, including seven dunks, but 1 for 8 on 3-pointers.
“I can still do more,” Wembanyama said. “I mean, my shots weren’t falling tonight and that forces me into a style of play that is exhausting. I can do it. I mean the proof is here. I can do it, but I can be much better if my shots fall. I know it’s just a matter of time.”
Still, three days after being named the Western Conference Player of the Week, Wembanyama presented a strong case for a repeat.
“I hope so,” Wembanyama said. “The goal is to get it every week.”
The Spurs have won six straight and swept a three-game homestand. San Antonio has not lost since dropping the season's first two games to Oklahoma City and Houston.
Wembanyama has averaged 32.5 points during the streak despite being under the weather with a virus.
“I haven’t been feeling great lately,” Wembanyama said. “I’ve been sick for a while and today I felt like I got my legs back. So it should be more like this, more often.”
He certainly looked spry to open the game.
Wembanyama scored 10 of San Antonio's first 12 points, powering down two dunks and draining all six free-throw attempts. He closed the first quarter with 15 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, two steals and an assist.
After capturing his ninth rebound, Wembanyama dribbled behind his back at Dallas’ 3-point line to avoid Walter Clayton Jr., drove between two defenders for a one-handed dunk and then stood in the paint screaming in celebration.
“He was making an impact for his team," said Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, who missed a 15-footer with three seconds remaining. "You can see his aggression has been raising over the past few games.”
The onslaught continued in the second quarter.
Wembanyama had three blocks in 13 seconds on the same possession, sending shots by Cooper Flagg and P.J. Washington flying out of bounds before his third was captured by De’Aaron Fox with 3:38 remaining in the first half.
Wembanyama rolled his ankle after stepping on Clayton's foot, exiting with 9:11 remaining in the game. He spent the next several minutes stretching his foot and ankle on the bench before returning with 6:05 remaining.
“I mean the moment that stands out for some reason. I don’t have any agenda I want to say, but it’s when I rolled my ankle,” Wembanyama said.
The Spurs certainly needed their All-Star in the final minutes.
Wembanyama had two putbacks in the final 2:39. He missed his first three free throws in the final 2:10, but made one with 24 seconds left for the final margin of victory.
See AP’s full NBA coverage here
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) goes to the basket against Dallas Mavericks' Daniel Gafford (21) and Caleb Martin during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford (21) goes to the basket against San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates a play during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
Alaskans are awaiting more results from key races on the general election ballot, including a bitterly fought U.S. Senate campaign and an open seat for governor. A ballot measure seeking to repeal Alaska’s unique system of open primaries and ranked vote general elections was also too early to call.
The midterm election blowout has ushered in a new era in Washington, with Democrats eager to meet voter demands for change as Republicans watched their congressional majorities evaporate in a revolt against President Donald Trump’s policies. Democrats triumphed in several surprise upsets, marking a decisive rejection of unified GOP control of the House and Senate. See the full election results.
Trump acknowledged the Iran war affected the midterms, suggesting voters were frustrated by surging gas prices that have been a byproduct of the more than 8-month-old conflict. He struck a conciliatory tone earlier, suggesting he could work with the Democrats, only to later threaten to use his veto power to strike down their agenda.
The fallout for Republicans is only beginning. Vice President JD Vance, a 2028 presidential contender, blamed the war in Iran for Republicans’ midterm wipeout. And Mike Johnson of Louisiana will not seek reelection as House speaker, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Here's the latest:
The Bank of England indicated Thursday that the sharp decline in energy prices after the U.S. midterm elections — if sustained — could limit the prospect of further interest rate hikes in the coming months.
After raising its main interest rate for the first time in more than three years to 4% from 3.75%, the bank said the outlook for U.K. borrowing costs largely hinges on what happens with the Iran war.
The heavy losses suffered by the Republican Party in the midterm elections have been followed by a sharp drop in energy prices. Many believe it’s now less likely Trump will launch fresh strikes on Iran, with Democrats gaining control of Congress early next year after their big wins this week. Many Republicans, including Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday, blamed the war for the party’s poor performance at the ballot box.
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After President Donald Trump said he would accept the results of his party’s midterm rout, many of his loyalists followed suit even though they, too, are always a hair trigger away from branding a losing election rigged.
Across the country, great numbers of defeated Republican candidates conceded, congratulated their Democratic opponents in moments of grace and bowed to their fate.
Misinformation experts have multiple theories about why election denial claims have not spread as widely this time. One is the scale of the Democrats’ success.
People see “a lot of enthusiasm on the left,” said Jen Golbeck, a professor at the University of Maryland who studies conspiracy theories. “They see all of these races moving that way across the country in places that you never would have expected.” And it’s “really hard to say every single place cheated.”
It’s also possible Trump’s acceptance of the results set the tone for others.
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World shares were mostly higher Thursday, though heavy selling of artificial intelligence-related stocks offset gains for some markets following the U.S. midterm elections.
South Korea’s Kospi sank more than 5% and the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo lost nearly 2%. Oil prices were mixed after the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped more than 3% on Wednesday after Republicans lost control of the U.S. Congress.
In early European trading, the German DAX rose 0.6% to 26,598.03, while the CAC 40 in Paris surged 1.2% to 8,276.55. The United Kingdom’s FTSE 100 gained 1% to 10,935.08.
The future for the S&P 500 was nearly unchanged, while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.4%. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 jumped 1.6%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged more than 1,500 points, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1.4%.
U.S. stocks usually climb following midterms. But technology shares have taken a hit as investors mull the potential impact on the artificial intelligence boom from a Democratic-led Congress next year.
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Corruption topped the list of concerns for voters who ousted Republicans and handed Democrats control of Congress in the midterm elections. Now, the newly empowered Democratic Party is putting the issue front and center as its leaders chart their course for investigations and policymaking.
Senior Democrats in both chambers of Congress have vowed to marshal the subpoena powers and larger investigative staffs that come with their soon-to-be majorities to probe what they say is the self-enrichment that President Donald Trump and people in his orbit have done at the public’s expense. The Republican president and his White House have long denied any wrongdoing.
House Democrats are preparing a vast oversight agenda to look at how Trump and his family have become wealthier since he returned to office — and Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who’s in line to become House speaker, has not ruled out trying to impeach Trump for a third time.
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Campaigning across Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed didn’t highlight the possibility that he could become the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate. But with victory in hand, he savored his triumph over the vitriol aimed at him and his fellow Muslim Americans.
“They tried to demonize people because of how they pray,” he told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “And Michigan — the whole Michigan — clapped back. People don’t want that. They’re sick of it.”
Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11 attacks and their aftermath yanked anti-Muslim sentiment into the forefront of American life, those emotions are shared by many Muslim Americans.
They saw a surge of anti-Muslim rhetoric after Zohran Mamdani was elected New York City mayor, and they saw the attacks intensify as El-Sayed became the new prime target. But after El-Sayed’s defeat of GOP rival Mike Rogers, there is a pervasive sense that a broader victory is at hand.
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Trump was publicly humbled by inflation in Tuesday’s midterm elections, as rising prices provoked a blistering set of losses for Republicans in House, Senate and gubernatorial races.
Most voters said that Trump’s own policies had smothered growth and driven costs even higher, according to The AP Voter Poll, a survey of roughly 100,000 midterm voters. The president’s message that the fault lay with his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, didn’t land. Americans saw prices start to climb with Trump’s chaotic rash of tariffs last year, and energy costs spiked after he launched a war with Iran in February.
About two-thirds of voters said Trump’s own policies had fueled inflation. By contrast, only about half of 2022 midterm voters said this about Biden’s policies, according to AP VoteCast.
The election results matched what voters had been telling pollsters for months, but Trump had campaigned with a decidedly deaf ear.
“I’ve done a great job,” Trump said at one of his final midterm rallies in Iowa.
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At the urging of President Donald Trump, Republicans in eight states redrew the boundaries of dozens of congressional districts over the past year while angling for an edge that could help them hold onto a slim House majority in a tough midterm election.
Ultimately, it didn’t work.
Republicans lost most of the Democratic-held seats they had targeted to flip, lost others they had banked on retaining and got swept out of power by a Democratic surge fueled by voter dissatisfaction with Trump, the economy and the war with Iran.
The Republican redistricting plan fell flat in Alabama, Florida and Texas. It got scuttled by courts in Missouri and then firmly defeated by its voters Tuesday. And it got offset in California, where a retaliatory Democratic redistricting flipped all five of the Republican-held seats it targeted.
“This is a catastrophic rebuke of Donald Trump’s failed effort to gerrymander the country into oblivion to save the U.S. House of Representatives for himself,” John Bisognano, president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said Wednesday.
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The final midterm votes are still being counted, but make no mistake: The next election season has already begun.
Presidential prospects in both parties jockeyed for position on Wednesday, even as the political world was digesting the impact of the Democratic wave that crashed over American politics the night before. Democrats celebrated their party’s stunning success — and began promoting themselves — while dejected Republicans scrambled to distance themselves from Trump’s wreckage.
The Republican with the most at stake was likely Vice President JD Vance, who entered Tuesday night as the GOP’s leading presidential prospect and woke up on Wednesday far more vulnerable — like any Republican who is close to Trump.
Voters still processing an extraordinary midterm campaign may not welcome an immediate pivot to 2028. But for would-be candidates, there is real urgency to move toward a White House bid in what is expected to be a wide-open contest in both parties.
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As he takes stock of his Republican Party’s midterm drubbing, Trump now faces the difficult question of what to do about his unpopular 8-month-old war against Iran.
For weeks, Trump has threatened to return to a full-scale bombardment of Iran once the U.S. elections were in the rearview mirror if Tehran did not come to a settlement under terms acceptable to him.
In his first comments on Wednesday after Democrats’ resounding election victory — a wave powered in part by the American electorate’s dissatisfaction with the war — Trump largely agreed with Vice President JD Vance, who publicly ruminated on the war being a catastrophe for Republicans.
The strikes, and counterstrikes, have caused tens of billions of dollars of damage in the region. And the conflict has reached into the pocketbooks of families around the globe with elevated gas prices and rising costs in just about every sector.
Now, as Trump ponders his next move, the stakes couldn’t be higher for Iran, the Middle East and the global economy writ large.
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Alaskans settled in Wednesday to await more results from key races on the general election ballot, including a bitterly fought U.S. Senate campaign and an open seat for governor.
A ballot measure seeking to repeal Alaska’s unique system of open primaries and ranked vote general elections was also too early to call.
If no candidate wins more than 50% of first-choice votes, rankings will come into play. Alaska accepts ballots from overseas voters for up to 15 days after the election, making Nov. 18 the date targeted by state elections officials to tabulate under the ranked vote system.
The major candidates in the Senate race are two-term Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola.
In the governor’s race, former state lawmaker Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins is trying to become the first Democrat elected to the office in a generation. He faces three other Republicans, including business owner Bernadette Wilson, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump.
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The U.S. Capitol dome is reflected in the body of a parked car, Wednesday Nov. 4, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
Scenes outside the office of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., at the Capitol, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
