Wembanyama explodes for career-high 50 points as Spurs trounce Wizards

MANILA, Philippines — Fifty for Wemby. 

Victor Wembanyama erupted for a career-high 50 points to tow the San Antonio Spurs over the Washington Wizards, 139-130, Thursday morning (Manila time) at the Frost Bank Center in Texas.

Wembanyama showcased his range with 8-of-16 3-pointers and 18-of-29 from the field. He finished with 50 points, six rebounds, three blocks, two assists and a steal.

The two teams were kept in a close fight through the 7:38 mark of the third, after the Wizards’ Alex Sarr dunk made it an 82-83 deficit.

But a 25-5 run capped by a split from the line by Wembanyama broke the game wide open, making it a 108-87 lead.

The double-digit advantage of the Spurs were maintained for the most part of the fourth, but the Wizards were able to slowly nip the lead away.

A 3-pointer by Corey Kispert cut the lead to five, 130-135, but a pair of free throws by Devin Vassell kept the Wizards at bay, 137-130, with 22 seconds left. 

Jordan Poole then turned the ball over, and Chris Paul iced the game with free throws.

Vassell added 17 markers for the Spurs, while Julian Champagnie had 12. 

Poole finished with 42 markers, six dimes and two boards on 15-of-22 shooting, but turnovers dampened his performance.

In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 11 points in overtime and finished with 59 points and 14 rebounds to tow the Bucks over the Detroit Pistons, 127-120. 

Antetokounmpo made 21 of his 34 field goals and made all but one of his 17 free throws to grab the win. 

Brook Lopez added 29 markers and eight boards for Milwaukee. 

Cade Cunningham finished with 35 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds for the Pistons, while Malik Beasley had 26 markers and 10 boards.

Over in New York, the Knicks stormed back from 22 points down, but ultimately fell to the Chicago Bulls, 124-123, at the Madison Square Garden in New York. 

A late foul by Josh Hart on a 3-point attempt by Coby White spelled the difference in the game, which was an anti-climactic finish to a heart-stopping game. 

The Bulls led by 22, 90-68, at the 3:53 mark of the third quarter after a layup by Zach LaVine. 

New York, though, finished the frame with a 17-0 run to cut the lead to five, 85-90. 

A tip-in dunk by Patrick Williams to start the fourth halted the blitz, but the Knicks kept on coming. 

A layup by Hart and a technical free throw by Karl-Anthony Towns gave New York a 98-96 lead, but the advantage was taken back by a triple by Ayo Dosunmu. 

Miles McBride, Julian Phillips and Towns then traded buckets to keep the contest at a 102-all deadlock. 

The Bulls held a four-point lead, 119-115, after a White 3-pointer with 2:15 remaining, but back-to-back deuces by OG Anunoby and Towns tied the game anew. 

A Jalen Brunson jumper pushed the Knicks back to the lead, 121-119, but free throws by Dosunmu tied it with less than 30 seconds to go. 

Brunson broke the ice and hit a driving layup for the lead, 123-121, but White received the ball on the inbounds play on the other end, hoisted up a 3-pointer, and Hart hit him from way beyond. 

He calmly sank all three free throws that put the Bulls ahead, 124-123, and Brunson missed a late stepback jumper that would have given New York the win. 

LaVine finished with 31 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, while White had 22. Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Williams and Dosunmu had 22, 19 and 18 markers, respectively.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers won their 13th straight game in the season after trampling the Philadelphia 76ers, 114-106. 

Darius Garland finished with 25 points, six assists and five rebounds for Cleveland, while Donovan Mitchell had a near triple-double with 23 markers, 13 boards and nine dimes.
 
Jared McCain spearheaded the depleted Sixers with 34 points and 10 assists. Philadelphia dropped to 2-9 in the season.

The Houston Rockets also triumphed over the Los Angeles Clippers, 111-103; the Boston Celtics drubbed the Brooklyn Nets, 139-114; the Oklahoma City Thunder zapped the New Orleans Pelicans, 106-88; and the Orlando Magic blasted the Indiana Pacers, 94-90.