SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Stephon Castle attacked the rim knowing he needed just one more basket for the first 40-point game of his two-year NBA career.
The game came so easily to the San Antonio Spurs guard on Saturday night, it was fitting that a missed shot caromed directly to him for his final two points. Castle leaped for the rebound and, in one motion, wound up and threw down a monstrous right-handed dunk to punctuate his second career triple-double.
“You could tell he knew,” All-Star Victor Wembanyama said with a chuckle. “It was crazy.”
Castle had a career-high 40 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists to lead the Spurs to their fourth straight win, a 138-125 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
"Not having to force it," Castle said of topping his previous high of 34 points. “I feel like it just came within the game.”
Castle was behind the 3-point line when Devin Vassell took a 25-foot shot from the left side of the court midway through the fourth quarter. As the ball was in flight, Castle sprinted untouched through the lane and outjumped teammate Dylan Harper as the ball bounded off the right side of the rim. Castle tumbled out of bounds after the emphatic putback, screaming in celebration as he sat out of bounds.
“The ball came off perfect, so it felt good," Castle said. "But I mean, more importantly, it felt good to do that knowing we were going to get to win as well.”
San Antonio (36-16) won its ninth in 12 games to remain second in the Western Conference, 3 1/2 games behind Oklahoma City (40-13).
The NBA's past two Rookie of the Year winners, Wembanyama and Castle have led the Spurs to their best start since 2016 as they try to end a six-season playoff drought.
While Wembanyama is an MVP candidate and will make his first All-Star start on Feb. 15 in Los Angeles, Castle is evolving into a dynamic two-way player in his second season out of Connecticut.
The fourth pick in last year’s draft, Castle has improved his scoring (16.5), assists (6.9), rebounds (5.0) and steals (1.3) while matching last season's blocks (0.3). He's also generally tasked with defending the opponent's leading scorer, usually regardless of position.
“He’s already one of the best players in the league, so thank God there’s still room to improve,” Wembanyama said.
It would be hard to improve on Saturday's performance, which Castle completed with a plus-30 in net-point differential against Dallas.
“He was aggressive,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “He had an incredible game.”
Castle made his first 10 shots before a 3-pointer from 28 feet bounced off the front of the rim three minutes into the second half. He finished 15 for 19 from the field, including 3 for 5 on 3-pointers.
Castle’s first triple-double was Nov. 12, 2025, against the Golden State Warriors when he had 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 125-120 loss.
The 21-year-old joins Hall of Famer David Robinson as the only San Antonio players with a 40-point triple-double in the Spurs' 54-year history.
Robinson, who has season tickets, watched from his courtside seats.
“He’s a big part of this franchise,” Castle said. “What he did for this organization was great. So, just to hear my name even alongside of his is special.”
The only time Castle wasn't completely at ease on the court Saturday was postgame when he led the Spurs' new victory ritual of a drum countdown for the fans. It was Castle's first time pounding the drum.
“I kind of went based off the last couple I've seen,” Castle said. “So, I thought I did decent.”
Wembanyama was jokingly less enthused.
“He has some range to get better, for sure,” Wembanyama said.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
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