Victor Wembanyama juggles the ball with his feet and referee Aaron Smith juggles it right back, in a 12-point night as the Spurs win a fifth straight

Victor Wembanyama had one of his quietest scoring nights of the season on Monday, with 12 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in 24 minutes, and the San Antonio Spurs still beat the Utah Jazz 119-97 at Frost Bank Center for a fifth straight win. The part of the night people kept sharing came at the end of the third quarter.

As Wembanyama headed to the bench for a timeout, he started juggling the basketball with his feet, then passed it to referee Aaron Smith. Smith did not pick it up with his hands. He controlled it with his foot and kept it going.

Wembanyama and Smith, posted by the NBA on X.

Wembanyama played goalkeeper as a kid in a club outside Paris, and he has juggled before. In January 2025, when the Spurs were in Paris for two games against the Pacers, he juggled a small soccer ball on the sideline at the Parc des Princes before a PSG match. This time it happened on an NBA floor, with the ref as his partner.

A win that did not need 40

On Saturday he had scored 43 against Minnesota, his 10th game of 40 or more in the regular season. Against Utah the Spurs did not ask for that. They led 27-16 after one quarter, held the Jazz to 7-of-26 shooting in the period, and outscored them 35-20 in the third to take a 25-point lead. San Antonio shot 60% for the game, outscored Utah 26-9 on fast-break points and 52-36 in the paint, and held an opponent under 100 for the first time this season.

Seven Spurs scored in double figures and the starters combined for 68 points. Dylan Harper led with 17 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, Stephon Castle had 16 points two days after scoring none while playing through a migraine against the Timberwolves, Keldon Johnson had 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench, De’Aaron Fox had 12 and Devin Vassell had 11.

Ball movement and a Wembanyama bucket, posted by the Spurs on X.

Castle said afterward that the team was “just not getting bored on what was working,” and that “we have so many weapons.” Keldon Johnson said the Spurs have “yet to play our best brand of basketball.”

What Wembanyama’s numbers look like now

Over the five-game streak Wembanyama is averaging 28.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.0 blocks. After Monday his season line is 25.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and four blocks a game, the most blocks in the league, though he is shooting 26.2% from three, below his career mark, on about six attempts a game.

The Jazz, who got 22 points and eight rebounds from Lauri Markkanen, lost their fifth in a row and are 1-6. Darryn Peterson had 14 points and was called for a Flagrant 1 on a closeout against Vassell that started an 18-2 Spurs run. San Antonio, 5-2 after an 0-2 start, closes its three-game homestand on Wednesday night against the Dallas Mavericks, with Cooper Flagg in town.