LeBron James had 30 points, nine assists and seven rebounds on Friday as the Los Angeles Lakers overcame Victor Wembanyama’s “5x5” statistical performance for their seventh victory in nine games, 123-118 over the San Antonio Spurs.
Wembanyama had 27 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in his first road game against the Lakers. The French rookie sensation added five blocked shots and five steals, making him the youngest player in NBA history and the 15th overall to achieve the rare 5x5 — at least five points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals in one game.
“He doesn’t have a ceiling,” James said of Wembanyama. “He can do whatever he wants to do in his career. It seems like he enjoys the game. It seems like he puts the work in, just from the outside looking in... I said a long time ago how special he was, and it’s really that simple.”
Photo: Stephen Lew-USA Today
Wembanyama fell one assist shy of a 5x5 game in Sacramento on Thursday, only to hit the mark one night later in Los Angeles in just 30 minutes, 55 seconds of play — the smallest amount of playing time in a 5x5 performance in league history.
Wembanyama also joined Michael Jordan as the only players to get at least five steals and five blocks in consecutive games.
“I wonder if [Jordan] did it in wins, not losses,” Wembanyama said. “To me, it’s secondary. Hopefully in the future we can look back and see this as a good performance, but as of today, I can’t be satisfied in a loss.”
Photo: Gary A. Vasquez-USA Today
Elsewhere in Los Angeles, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks roared out of the All-Star break with a 112-107 victory over Western Conference leaders the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In New Orleans, Louisiana, the Miami Heat beat the Pelicans 106-95 in a rollercoaster contest that saw four players ejected after a brawl early in the fourth quarter.
Miami star Jimmy Butler returned after missing three games because of a death in his family and scored 23 points with nine rebounds before he was among those tossed in the melee that erupted after Miami center Kevin Love tried to wrap up Zion Williamson and the Pelicans star ended up on the floor.
Photo: AFP
Butler and Naji Marshall got into a shoving match with Marshall briefly grabbing Butler’s throat. Players flooded the court and Heat backup center Thomas Bryant — who did not even play in the game — was among those ejected, as was New Orleans’ Jose Alvarado, who appeared to throw a punch.
When order was restored, New Orleans grabbed a 91-89 lead, but the Heat — who led by as many as 19 — responded with an 11-0 scoring run to regain control.
“Nobody wants to see anything like that,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of the fracas, which he believed stemmed from a “misunderstanding” of what happened on the play when Williamson fell.
“I honestly think Zion slipped on the play when K-Love grabbed him,” Spoelstra said. “And then everybody kind of over-reacted. I think they interpreted that K-Love threw [Williamson] down. On K-Love’s best day, I don’t think he could throw him down.”
Williamson, who led the Pelicans with 23 points, said Love actually tried to protect him when he fell. He tried to calm things down, but he could see how the situation spiraled.
“It’s just competitive,” Williamson said. “It’s people riding for their teammates.”
Tempers also flared in San Francisco, where Golden State’s Lester Quinones and Charlotte’s Grant Williams were ejected when players scuffled in the waning moments of the Warriors’ 97-84 victory over the Hornets.
Elsewhere on Friday, it was:
‧ 76ers 104, Cavaliers 97
‧ Grizzlies 95, Clippers 101
‧ Hawks 121, Raptors 123
‧ Rockets 114, Suns 110
‧ Thunder 147, Wizards 106
‧ Trail Blazers 112, Nuggets 127
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