San Antonio’s young sensation Victor Wembanyama scored 40 points and grabbed 20 rebounds to help the Spurs hold off a stunning 61-point performance by New York’s Jalen Brunson in a 130-126 win over the Knicks in the NBA on Friday.
Wembanyama became the first young player to score 40 points and grab 20 rebounds since Shaquille O’Neal in 1993.
The 20-year-old Frenchman also added seven assists, two steals and a block as he and the Spurs spoiled Brunson’s career night — one shy of the Knicks’ club record of 62 points in a game, set by Carmelo Anthony in 2014.
San Antonio’s stellar performance eclipsed Minnesota’s 111-98 win over the defending champion Denver Nuggets which moved the Timberwolves into the top spot in the western conference, alongside the Oklahoma City Thunder — who beat the Phoenix Suns 128-103.
The Nuggets dropped from first to third, a half-game behind the Timberwolves and Thunder.
Brunson scored his fifth-highest point total in a season full of highs, but he missed a three-pointer that might have given the Knicks the lead with 5.4 seconds left in overtime.
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Wembanyama’s three points with 1:12 left in overtime put the Spurs ahead 128-124.
After Spurs’ Tre Jones made two free throws with 1.1 seconds remaining, Wembanyama made a steal and the game was over.
The Spurs, who won three straight for the first time this season, scored 74 points in the first half and led most of the night.
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But the Knicks, fueled by Brunson’s 38 points in the second half, grabbed their first lead when Donte DiVincenzo’s three-pointer made it 113-112 with 4:39 left in regulation.
After Wembanyama’s alley-oop dunk tied the score at 119-119, Brunson scored a basket to put the Knicks up 121-119 with 1:14 left in regulation, but Wembanyama hit two free throws to force overtime.
“The player is very special,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said of Wembanyama, adding that the Spurs’ ability to contain the “amazing” Brunson and the Knicks’ late offense showed how much they improved this year.
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“All teams are losing leads,” Popovich said. “But how you recover from that is important and before this year we wouldn’t stick with our own execution, our own rhythm. You could see the maturity they developed over the course of the season.
“They stayed strong when New York put up a tremendous offensive effort.”
In Denver, Anthony Edwards scored 25 points, Mike Conley added 23 and Rudy Gobert finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds in a convincing win over the Nuggets.
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Gobert’s dunk alley-oop gave Minnesota a 6-5 lead less than three minutes into the game and they never trailed again.
Nikola Jokic scored 32 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, but he and the Nuggets sorely missed guard Jamal Murray, who missed his fourth straight game with an ankle injury.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone said before the game that he believed Murray would be back “before the playoffs start.”
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Oklahoma City, fueled by 23 points from Josh Giddey, cruised past Kevin Durant and the Suns despite the absence of All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was sidelined again with a right thigh contusion.
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George succeeded in crucial moments for the Los Angeles Clippers, making two consecutive baskets in the final minute to seal a 100-97 victory over the Magic in Orlando.
Hujan three-point Nets
The Brooklyn Nets drilled 25 three-pointers in a 125-108 win at home over the Chicago Bulls, tying the NBA record for three-pointers in a half with 18 after the break.
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Dennis Schroder and Mikal Bridges each made seven three-pointers and Cam Thomas made five three-pointers en route to a team-high 28 points for the Nets.
In Miami, the Heat crushed the Blazers 142-82 for the most lopsided win in franchise history.
In Indiana, Pascal Siakam scored 22 points and Tyrese Haliburton added 21 to lead the Pacers to a 109-90 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Siakam added 11 rebounds and Haliburton grabbed eight rebounds and eight assists for the Pacers, who improved their defense after a 150-145 loss to the Lakers on Sunday.
Anthony Davis scored 24 points with 15 rebounds and LeBron James added 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, but the Lakers scored their lowest number of points of the season. (AFP/Z-3)
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