LOS ANGELES (AFP) — French phenomenon Victor Wembanyama poured in 38 points and came up big in the fourth quarter as the San Antonio Spurs held off a late Phoenix rally to beat the Suns 132-121 in the National Basketball Association on Thursday.

Wembanyama, the No. 1 draft pick who is playing in his fifth NBA game, notched 20 points in the first half as the Spurs pushed their advantage to as many as 27 on the way to a 75-55 lead at the break.

The towering 19-year-old then showed plenty of poise after the Suns roared back to tie the game at 116-116 on Keita Bates-Diop's three-pointer with 4:21 remaining.

The Spurs responded with 12 straight points, 10 of them from Wembanyama, who produced three free-throws, a dunk, a three-pointer and a turnaround jump shot to put San Antonio back in charge.

"Somebody's gotta do it," Wembanyama said of taking responsibility at the crucial moment. "Tomorrow, it's going to be one of my teammates."

The burst was even more impressive than his highlight-reel dunk in the second quarter and back-to-back three-pointers to end the first half.

In all, Wembanyama connected on 15 of 26 shots from the field and pulled down 10 rebounds with two blocked shots to help the Spurs notch their second win in three days over the Suns.

On Tuesday, San Antonio erased a 20-point third-quarter deficit to stun Phoenix, 115-114.

The two games reinforced what Wembanyama said was the biggest NBA lesson he had learned so far — that "maybe a 20-point lead is nothing."

This time, the Spurs never trailed, although it looked like the Suns might turn the tables as Devin Booker scored 21 of his 31 points in the second half and Kevin Durant scored 15 of his 28 after the break in a furious rally bid.

Booker, back from an ankle injury, added 13 rebounds and nine assists, but the Suns, hindered by 14 turnovers, never gained the lead.

"Of course, there was the threat of Durant and Booker, that was our major concern playing the Suns, especially in the fourth quarter," Wembanyama said.