San Antonio rookie Victor Wembanyama scored 40 points and grabbed 20 rebounds on Friday to help the Spurs withstand a stunning 61-point performance from New York’s Jalen Brunson in a 130-126 NBA overtime victory over the Knicks.
French star Wembanyama became the first rookie to record a 40-point, 20-rebound game since Shaquille O’Neal had 46 and 21 in 1993.
The 20-year-old added seven assists, two steals and a blocked shot as he and the Spurs spoiled a career night for Brunson, who finished one point shy of the Knicks’ franchise record of 62 points in a game, set by Carmelo Anthony in 2014.
Photo: Scott Wachter-USA Today
The scintillating show in San Antonio overshadowed Minnesota’s 111-98 victory over reigning champions the Denver Nuggets that vaulted the Timberwolves into a tie for the Western Conference lead, alongside the Oklahoma City Thunder, who beat the Phoenix Suns 128-103.
The Nuggets dropped from first to third, 0.5 games behind the Timberwolves and the Thunder.
Brunson notched the fifth-highest points total of this high-scoring season, but he missed a potential go-ahead three-pointer with 5.4 seconds left in overtime.
“He’s pretty special,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said of Wembanyama, adding that the Spurs’ ability to withstand an “amazing” Brunson and the Knicks’ late charge showed how much they have developed this year.
“All teams lose leads, but how you come back from it is important and earlier in the year we would not have sustained our own execution, our own pace,” Popovich said. “You can see the maturity that they’ve developed during the season.”
Elsewhere on Friday, it was:
‧ Cavaliers 117, 76ers 114
‧ Heat 142, Trail Blazers 82
‧ Hornets 97, Warriors 115
‧ Jazz 100, Rockets 101
‧ Kings 103, Mavericks 107
‧ Magic 97, Clippers 100
‧ Nets 125, Bulls 108
‧ Pacers 109, Lakers 90
‧ Wizards 87, Pistons 96
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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