Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The San Antonio Spurs rolled to an 11th straight NBA victory on Thursday, beating the Brooklyn Nets 126-110 to inch closer to the Oklahoma City Thunder for first place in the Western Conference. Julian Champagnie scored 26 points to lead the Spurs, who never trailed despite another quiet night for Victor Wembanyama. The French superstar connected on just three of nine shots from the field but made all six of his free-throw attempts on the way to 12 points. Wembanyama added eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and a pair of blocked shots — and that was plenty as seven San Antonio players scored in double figures. That included 18 points from Stephon Castle and 14 each from De’Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell.
Undefeated in February, the Spurs are on their longest winning streak since they won 13 straight in the 2015-16 season. “It feels like players are finding different ways to win,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “That’s a sign of growth.”
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Kevin Durant scored a season-high 40 points to fuel the Houston Rockets in a 113-108 victory over the Magic in Orlando. Durant scored 26 points in the second half as the Rockets erased a 19-point deficit in the third quarter. He found Alperen Sengun for a layup that put Houston up for good with 3:07 remaining, and the veteran drained four free throws to seal the win. Durant, a 37-year-old two-time champion, became the sixth player in NBA history to reach 32,000 career points. “Just to be mentioned in the same category with some of the greatest athletes of all time — not just basketball players but athletes — I’m just honored and blessed and grateful for all of the people that invested in me along the way,” Durant said. “It’s been a long journey and I’m looking forward to keeping it going.”
In Phoenix, Royce O’Neale drilled the game-winning three-pointer with 1.7 seconds remaining as the Suns edged the Los Angeles Lakers 113-110. Lakers superstar LeBron James’ put-back basket had tied it at 110-110 with 22.7 seconds left, but the Lakers couldn’t connect on their final possession and dropped their third straight. Grayson Allen scored 28 points to lead the short-handed Suns, who withstood a 41-point performance from Los Angeles’ Luka Doncic.
In Philadelphia, Tyrese Maxey broke the 76ers’ franchise record for three-pointers, draining five on the way to 28 points in a 124-117 victory over the Miami Heat. Maxey, who added 11 assists, broke Allen Iverson’s Sixers record of 885 career three-pointers with his fourth trey — with 1:38 left in the first quarter. He added one more in the period as he scored 20 points in the first quarter alone. Joel Embiid added 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Sixers, who led 73-57 at halftime then held on after Miami clawed back, the Heat managing to grab a one-point lead multiple times before Philadelphia put it away.
Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel set an NBA rookie record for most three-pointers in a season, drilling eight of the Hornets’ 22 baskets from beyond the arc in their 133-109 victory over the Pacers in Indiana. Knueppel set the record in the third quarter with his 207th three-pointer of the season, breaking the mark of 206 set by Sacramento’s Keegan Murray in the 2022-23 campaign. He had tied Murray’s record in the first half with his fifth trey of the game. His eight three-pointers tied his career high.
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