Washington (AFP) – With Victor Wembanyama out and Stephon Castle lost to a hip injury, the San Antonio Spurs still managed to cruise past Sacramento 123-110 in the NBA on Sunday. De’Aaron Fox delivered a season-high 28 points with 11 assists, Harrison Barnes added 20 points, and Luke Kornet had 13 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocked shots in the home triumph.
“We did a great job being disciplined in our approach,” Kornet said. “Fox asserted himself.” The Kings (3-11) suffered their sixth consecutive loss while the Spurs improved to 9-4. “Wemby” missed his first game for the Spurs this season due to left calf tightness. The 21-year-old Frenchman is averaging 26.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 3.6 blocked shots a game for San Antonio.
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When guard Castle was benched for the second half with a left hip injury, the Spurs kept their poise. “We handled it well. You want to come out, hit first and take command of the game,” Fox said. “We responded well to both (injuries). We still have a talented team out there. When one guy goes down, not just the next man steps up but the whole team steps up… we’re able to withstand those type of things.”
In other games, Jaylen Brown scored 33 points and 12 rebounds while Payton Pritchard added 30 points to spark the Boston Celtics over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers 121-118. James Harden scored a game-high 37 points for the Clippers but missed a tying three-point shot at the final buzzer.
Three games were decided in overtime. Houston’s Kevin Durant scored 35 points and Turkish center Alperen Sengun added 30 to lead the Rockets to a 117-113 overtime home victory over Orlando. Sengun blocked a Desmond Bane layup, but a bad pass by Durant set up Anthony Black’s dunk with 1.7 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give Orlando the lead. Sengun answered with 0.2 of a second to play to send the game into overtime at 102-102. Durant’s jumper with 9.2 seconds remaining in overtime gave Houston a 113-110 lead, and the Rockets rebounded Wendell Carter’s missed free throw to set up Amen Thompson’s clinching free throws with 1.8 seconds remaining.
In Utah, Finnish forward Lauri Markkanen scored 47 points. But it was Jazz teammate Keyonte George who scored the last of his 34 points on a three-pointer with two seconds remaining in double overtime to give Utah a 150-147 triumph. Markkanen’s free throw with 19 seconds remaining in regulation set up the first overtime at 127-127, and Chicago’s Coby White sank a layup with 0.2 of seconds remaining to equalize at 136-136. Two White free throws with 8.4 seconds remaining in the second extra period tied the game, setting up George’s game-winner and a three-point miss by Chicago’s Vucevic at the buzzer. White led the Bulls with 27 points.
Dallas 18-year-old rookie Cooper Flagg, this year’s top NBA Draft pick, scored 21 points while PJ Washington added 21 and Daniel Gafford had 20 in the Mavericks’ 138-133 overtime home win over Portland. Atlanta edged host Phoenix 124-122 as Onyeka Okongwu scored 27 points, Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 26, and Jalen Johnson contributed 25 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists for the Hawks. Alexander-Walker sank the go-ahead layup with 54 seconds remaining, and Atlanta sank free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
In New Orleans, Golden State’s Moses Moody scored 32 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including 8-of-12 from three-point range, in the Warriors’ 124-106 romp over the Pelicans. Brooklyn’s Michael Porter had 34 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists in the Nets’ 129-106 victory at Washington, snapping a four-game losing skid to reach 2-11. The Wizards slid to 1-12, matching Indiana for the NBA’s worst record with an 11th loss in a row.
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