LOS ANGELES – Sensational San Antonio rookie Victor Wembanyama scored 40 points and grabbed 20 rebounds to help the Spurs withstand a stunning 61-point performance from New York’s Jalen Brunson in a 130-126 National Basketball Association (NBA) overtime victory over the Knicks on March 29.
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.
Said Brunson: “He’s going to be one of the greatest players this game has seen. Just the way he’s built. What he’s been able to do so far. I have a lot of respect for him.”
The 20-year-old added seven assists, two steals and a blocked shot as he and the Spurs spoilt 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.
Said Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo of his teammate: “He’s special. I think he’s an All-NBA talent. Even if we didn’t come away with the win tonight, I think what he did tonight showed you that he’s one of the best guards in the East. Every single night, whatever it takes to win, he does that. Tonight, it was almost.”
The scintillating show in San Antonio overshadowed Minnesota’s 111-98 victory over reigning champions 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 (51-23) dropped from first to third, half a game behind the Timberwolves and 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.
Wembanyama’s three-pointer with 1min 12sec left in overtime had put the Spurs up 128-124.
After Spurs guard Tre Jones made two free throws with 1.1sec left, Wembanyama came up with a steal and it was over.
The Spurs, who won a third straight game for the first time this season, scored 74 points in the first half and led most of the night.
But the Knicks (44-29), fuelled by Brunson’s 38 points in the second half, grabbed the lead for the first time when DiVincenzo’s three-pointer made it 113-112 with 4:39 left in regulation.
After a Wembanyama alley-oop dunk tied it at 119-119, Brunson drove for a basket that put the Knicks up 121-119 with 1:14 left in regulation, but Wembanyama made two free throws to force 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 in 2024.
In Denver, Anthony Edwards scored 25 points, Mike Conley added 23 and Rudy Gobert finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds, as the Timberwolves scored a convincing win over the Nuggets.
Nikola Jokic scored 32 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, but he and the Nuggets sorely missed point guard Jamal Murray, who missed a fourth straight game with a sprained ankle.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone said before the game that he believed Murray would be back “before the play-offs start”. AFP
