Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Victor Wembanyama scored 39 points as the San Antonio Spurs overcame a magical career-high 55-point display from Anthony Edwards to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 126-123 in the NBA on Saturday. French prodigy Wembanyama was backed by 25 points from De’Aaron Fox in a high-scoring heavyweight duel against the Edwards-inspired Timberwolves.
Minnesota had clawed their way back from a 25-point half-time deficit, with Edwards leading an astonishing second half fightback that included 26 points in the fourth quarter as the Timberwolves edged into a 119-118 lead with just over a minute remaining. But Wembanyama and Fox reasserted themselves down the stretch, and the Spurs hung on for a win that sees them improve to 28-13 to remain second in the West. Fox said the hard-fought nature of the San Antonio win would stand them in good stead in the later stages of the season.
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“We’re playing in a lot of grind it out games, not just blowing teams out,” Fox said. “That does help you in the long run of being used to playing in games like this. But you know, when you’re one of the better teams in the league you have to be able to put your foot on teams and put them away. As a team we have to learn how to do that.”
San Antonio meanwhile remain in pursuit of Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City, who suffered an upset 122-120 loss to the Miami Heat on the road in Florida on Saturday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 points for the reigning NBA champions, but Miami rattled in 20 three-pointers — including Andrew Wiggins’ winning score with 32 seconds remaining — to hold on for a hard-fought victory. Bam Adebayo led the Miami scoring with 30 points, while Norman Powell finished with 19 on a night when six Heat players finished in double figures.
At the top of the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons bagged their 30th win of the season with a brutal 121-78 drubbing of the hapless Indiana Pacers, last year’s NBA Finals runners-up who are bottom of the table. The gulf in class between the two teams was evident from the outset, with Detroit roaring into a 31-11 lead at the end of the first quarter before building a mammoth 59-25 lead at half-time.
Detroit would lead by 46 points at one stage in the fourth quarter before cruising to a wire-to-wire victory that sees them improve to 30-10. The Boston Celtics are Detroit’s nearest rivals in the East, improving to 26-15 on Saturday with a 132-106 rout of the Atlanta Hawks. Jaylen Brown’s 41-point performance led the Celtics, although the hot hand of Sam Hauser caught the eye with an exhibition of long-range shooting that saw him drain 10 three-pointers on his way to 30 points.
The third-placed New York Knicks meanwhile stumbled to their third straight loss with a 106-99 defeat to the Phoenix Suns at Madison Square Garden. Devin Booker led the Suns’ scoring with 27 points against a depleted Knicks line-up missing the injured Jalen Brunson, who is nursing an injured ankle.
© 2024 AFP
