SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had 30 points and 14 rebounds and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Sacramento Kings 124-109 in an NBA Cup game on Friday night.
Wembanyama, coming off a 52-point, 24-rebound game in a victory over Dallas on Wednesday, recorded his seventh double-double of the season, tied for third place in the NBA with Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis, who finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
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San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts after injuring his ankle during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Villegas)
Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) defends San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) during the first half of an NBA basketball game on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Villegas)
San Antonio Spurs guard De'aaron Fox (4) saves a ball from going out of bounds as Sacramento Kings forward Leaky Black (19) looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Villegas)
Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) defends San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Villegas)
Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell and Dylan Harper scored 19 points apiece and Harrison Barnes added 13 for the Spurs (7-2).
The Spurs scored 75 points in the first half and led by 19 at the break. They extended their lead to as many as 24 points midway through the fourth quarter. San Antonio's 75-point first half was its second-highest scoring half of the season behind their 80-point half against the Kings on Oct. 27.
Wembanyama scored 12 straight points and helped the Spurs extend their lead to 11 points early in the second.
San Antonio was helped by 33-for-42 shooting from the line. The Kings finished 13 for 19.
Rookie Darius Acuff Jr. extended his hot start to the season and led the way for the Kings with 22 points and eight assists.
Sacramento fell to 1-8 overall and has lost four straight at home.
The Spurs and Kings are in the West Group C with Portland, Golden State and the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Cup.
Spurs: At Portland on Saturday.
Kings: Host Miami on Sunday.
See AP’s full NBA coverage here
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts after injuring his ankle during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Villegas)
Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) defends San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) during the first half of an NBA basketball game on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Villegas)
San Antonio Spurs guard De'aaron Fox (4) saves a ball from going out of bounds as Sacramento Kings forward Leaky Black (19) looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Villegas)
Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) defends San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Villegas)
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Polling places closed on Saturday after the final day of voting in New Zealand’s election following a tense campaign that left the main contenders neck and neck with no clear route to victory for either.
An incumbent conservative government led by the National party is seeking a second term against a leftwing bloc led by Labour. In polls close to election day, neither Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of National nor opposition leader Chris Hipkins of Labour had a clear path to victory, with minor parties on the ideological flanks expected to hold sway over the next government’s formation.
Voting began on Oct. 26 and ended on Saturday at 7 p.m. New Zealand’s Electoral Commission aimed to release a count of 5% of the vote within 30 minutes of polls closing.
Results from 95% of ballots cast are expected by the end of Saturday night. A final, verified tally is due on Nov. 27, including results from votes cast by New Zealanders living abroad.
Luxon, who took office in 2020, faces a tough fight for a second term as prime minister after facing two confidence votes among his own lawmakers this year. Meanwhile, Hipkins seeks a second chance at power after a resounding defeat three years ago.
Voting began Oct. 26 with nearly 3.8 million people eligible to cast ballots in the South Pacific country of 5.6 million people. New Zealand has a single house of government, and there are no states. The central government, elected for three-year terms, holds ultimate power over the country’s direction.
Ahead of election day, analysts didn't see a simple route to a majority for either the three-party rightwing bloc or a three-party leftwing coalition. The uncertainty may reflect voter discontent about both major parties as economic problems linger following international shocks that have buffeted New Zealand’s trade-based economy.
New Zealanders don’t elect prime ministers. Instead they cast two votes, one for their preferred party and one to select a local representative.
To govern, a coalition of parties must hold more than half of parliament’s seats. The total number of seats is determined by official calculations on election night based on quirks of the country’s vote.
National in 2023 joined with two right-wing parties, populist New Zealand First and libertarian ACT, to form the country’s most conservative modern government. Detractors of Luxon, a business executive who entered parliament in 2020, note his political inexperience compared to the minor party leaders in his power-sharing deal.
Both are veteran politicians who extracted wide policy concessions from Luxon. The Prime Minister took power on promises of fueling economic recovery from the pandemic era, but unemployment in the September quarter reached its highest level in 15 years.
On Hipkins’ side, the left-wing Green party has also experienced strong support. Another traditional Labour coalition partner is Te Pati Māori, an Indigenous rights group.
Hipkins, a career politician, was thrust into the premiership nine months before the 2023 election when his predecessor Jacinda Ardern quit. Labour hasn’t surged in popularity in the polls since losing that vote, and some detractors still associate Hipkins with pandemic-era policies they opposed.
Election deadlocks have previously seen the two blocs race to establish a coalition deal by wooing a minor party that holds the balance of power. Recent polls suggest Saturday’s election could yield such a result if The Opportunity Party is elected to Parliament for the first time.
The group’s candidates are centrist, socially liberal technocrats who favor a land tax, universal basic income and pro-environment measures. The party’s new leader, 38-year-old Qiulae Wong, who has worked in business but not in politics, has pledged to negotiate first with whichever party wins the most votes if she holds the tiebreaker role.
Luxon has ruled out governing with Opportunity. Analysts say, however, that both major party leaders would likely answer the phone if Wong held the only path to power on election night.
The Opportunity Party leader Qiulae Wong poses for a portrait outside Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins reacts as he visits a steel framing business while campaigning for election in Paraparaumu, New Zealand, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
People arrive at a voting place on election day in Auckland, New Zealand, Saturday, Nov.7, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Robertson)
Election workers prepare ballot papers for voters at a voting place on election day in Wellington, New Zealand, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
People queue to enter a voting place on election day in Wellington, New Zealand, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
People walk past a sign outside a voting place on election day in Wellington, New Zealand, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
A person casts their ballot at a voting place on election day in Wellington, New Zealand, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
A dog sits outside a voting place on election day in Wellington, New Zealand, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
A person places their voting papers in a ballot box at a voting place in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
A man enters a voting place in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
A Māori warden reacts as a man leaves a voting place at a marae in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
An election worker hands voting papers to a person at a voting booth in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
People leave a voting place in Wellington, New Zealand, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)
