March 6, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembayama (1) shoots while being defended by Los Angeles Clippers center Brook Lopez (11) and guard Derrick Jones Jr. (5) during the first half at Frostbank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Image Victor Wembayama had 27 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots, and Julian Champagne added 20 points, 17 of them in the pivotal third quarter as the host San Antonio Spurs came back from a 25-point deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 116-112 on Friday.
It was the Spurs’ biggest comeback of the season, their third straight win and their 14th win in their last 15 games.
The Clippers led by 20 points in the first half and by 25 points early in the third quarter. San Antonio narrowed the margin to 11 points in the bottom of the third, then went on a 16-1 run on a Devin Vassell 3-pointer to take a 99-97 lead with 7 minutes, 11 seconds left.
Kawhi Leonard’s steal and dunk put the Clippers back on top with 4:52 left. Carter Bryant’s 3-pointer with 3:28 left gave the Spurs a three-point lead, and a pair of Leonard free throws with 1:17 left allowed Los Angeles to retake the lead at 109-108. Wembanyama responded with a 3-pointer to take the lead again.
Derrick Jones Jr.’s 3-point play with 52 seconds left gave the Clippers a one-point lead, and Wembanyama responded with a dunk on the breakaway to put San Antonio up 113-112.
After a Clippers turnover, Champagny missed two free throws with 12.9 seconds left, but Wembanyama credited Champagny with the rebound of the second miss. Stephen Castle attempted the first free throw after being fouled and missed the second, but grabbed the rebound and finished the Clippers with a layup.
De’Aaron Fox scored 19 points for San Antonio, Vassell had 11 and Keldon Johnson and Luke Kornet each added 10 as the Spurs won their second straight game.
Leonard led all scorers with 30 points, Brook Lopez had 26, Jones had 12, Jordan Miller had 11 and Kobe Sanders had 10.
San Antonio dominated the opening quarter, leading by as many as six points before the Clippers took the lead. Sanders’ reverse layup with 1:05 left in the half gave the Clippers a 22-point advantage, their largest home deficit this season. Los Angeles went into the break with a 66-46 lead.
Lopez led all scorers with 17 points in the first half, while Leonard added 11 points for the Clippers. Wembanyama led the Spurs with 14 points despite playing just 9 minutes and 55 seconds in the first half.
–Field level media
