Victor Wembanyama made a go-ahead free throw with 2.9 seconds remaining and De’Aaron Fox shined in his Spurs debut as San Antonio escaped with a 126-125 win over the host Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.
Fox, acquired from the Sacramento Kings on Monday as part of a three-team trade that also involved the Chicago Bulls, poured in 24 points on 11-of-22 shooting and dished out 13 assists. One of his misses led to a Wembanyama putback dunk that put the Spurs up 125-123 with 30.4 seconds left.
Atlanta’s Trae Young sank a floater with 8.5 seconds remaining to tie the game, but Onyeka Okongwu fouled Wembanyama on the next possession. Wembanyama intentionally missed his second free-throw attempt, and Young followed with a 45-foot heave that was off the mark.
Wembanyama paired 24 points with 12 rebounds for the Spurs, who won despite getting outshot from the field (52.7 percent to 50.5 percent). Devin Vassell added 20 points and Jeremy Sochan supplied 15 off the bench as San Antonio won for just the third time in 10 games.
Young led all scorers with 32 points. He also had 12 assists but committed nine turnovers. Okongwu (30 points), De’Andre Hunter (22) and Dyson Daniels (19) also scored in double figures as Atlanta lost for the ninth time in its past 10 games.
Thunder 140, Suns 109
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 50 points to lead Oklahoma City to a home win over Phoenix.
It was the third 50-plus-point game of Gilgeous-Alexander’s career, all of them coming over the past seven games. Oklahoma City got 17 points from Aaron Wiggins and 13 from Jalen Williams.
Bradley Beal, a big factor in Phoenix’s early success, scored 25 off the bench to lead the Suns. Devin Booker added 19 points, and Royce O’Neale had 18.
Timberwolves 127, Bulls 108
Anthony Edwards scored 49 points and grabbed nine rebounds as Minnesota pulled away for a win over Chicago in Minneapolis.
Naz Reid recorded 22 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota, which snapped a two-game skid. Rudy Gobert racked up 10 points and 15 rebounds, and Jaden McDaniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker each put up 12 points.
Coby White scored 20 points to lead the Bulls, who played on short rest after beating the visiting Miami Heat one night earlier. Josh Giddey finished with 19 points, and Nikola Vucevic notched 10 points and 11 boards.
Wizards 119, Nets 102
Bilal Coulibaly’s first career triple-double headlined a balanced showing as Washington cruised to its first three-game winning streak of the season with a rout of host Brooklyn.
Coulibaly finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 11 assists. He was one of seven Wizards players to score in double figures, led by Jordan Poole with 19 points. An astounding 40 of Washington’s 44 field goals came off assists to facilitate the team scoring effort. Poole dished eight assists, and Bub Carrington doled out a career-best 10 assists to go with his 16 points.
The Nets had a three-game winning streak snapped and held all three of those opponents under 100 points. Keon Johnson led all scorers with 25 points, while Cameron Johnson added 17 points in his first action since Jan. 21 due to an ankle injury.
Jazz 131, Warriors 128
Jordan Clarkson scored 31 points, Keyonte George added 26 and Utah made a furious comeback to erase a late double-digit deficit and beat Golden State in Salt Lake City.
Playing under the shadow of a widely reported massive four-team trade, including these two, Golden State led 122-111 with three minutes left. However, the Jazz scored on 10 straight possessions and made a flurry of defensive plays to cap a wild night with an unlikely win.
Stephen Curry led all scorers with 32 points for the Warriors, who reportedly will receive Jimmy Butler from the Heat in the trade.
Nuggets 144, Pelicans 119
Michael Porter Jr. tied his career high with 39 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, Nikola Jokic finished with 38 points and 10 assists and host Denver routed New Orleans.
Christian Braun scored 23 points for the Nuggets, who tied their season high in points and swept the two-game home set against the Pelicans.
Zion Williamson put 28 points and Trey Murphy III had 25 points and nine assists, but New Orleans took its seventh loss in a row.
Magic 130, Kings 111
Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero combined for 54 points and Orlando spoiled Zach LaVine’s debut for host Sacramento.
Wagner had five 3-pointers to account for almost half his 31 points, while Banchero complemented 23 points with nine assists for the Magic, who snapped a four-game losing streak.
Domantas Sabonis had a 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Kings, who inserted LaVine into the starting lineup two days after acquiring him from the Chicago Bulls in a three-team deal. LaVine totaled 13 points, shooting just 4-for-13.
Bucks 112, Hornets 102
Damian Lillard poured in 29 points and Bobby Portis racked up 23 as visiting Milwaukee halted a four-game losing streak by drilling Charlotte.
Brook Lopez provided 14 points, Gary Trent Jr. came off the bench for 13 points and Taurean Prince had 11 points for the Bucks, who built an early double-digit lead. The Bucks, who shot 50.6 percent from the field, played again without star power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, their leading scorer (31.8 points per game) and rebounder (12.2).
The Hornets suffered their sixth consecutive loss despite 23 points from Nick Smith Jr. Miles Bridges and KJ Simpson each scored 15 points, while Moussa Diabate, who hauled in 13 rebounds, and Tidjane Salaun supplied 10 points apiece.
Cavaliers 118, Pistons 115
Darius Garland made a 3-pointer as time expired to allow visiting Cleveland to continue its dominance of Detroit.
Garland made his transition basket after Cleveland squandered an eight-point lead in the final minute. Garland finished with 25 points as Cleveland defeated Detroit for the 12th straight time. Evan Mobley led the Cavaliers with 30 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and four blocked shots. Craig Porter Jr. supplied 16 points, and Max Strus added 15.
Cade Cunningham carried the Pistons with 38 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Tim Hardaway Jr. had 20 points and Ausar Thompson 12.
Grizzlies 138, Raptors 107
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 14 of his 32 points in the second quarter as visiting Memphis defeated Toronto.
Ja Morant added 26 points for the Grizzlies, who have won four in a row and 10 of 11. Toronto-born rookie Zach Edey had 13 points and 15 rebounds for Memphis. GG Jackson added 17 points, Brandon Clarke scored 13 points and Scotty Pippen Jr. contributed 12 points.
Scottie Barnes produced 11 points and nine assists for the Raptors, who have lost two in a row. Ochai Agbaji, Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter each scored 14 points, Gradey Dick had 13 and Davion Mitchell and Jonathan Mogbo each scored 10.
Heat 108, 76ers 101
Tyler Herro scored 30 points and Nikola Jovic shined in a complementary role as Miami topped host Philadelphia amid a major roster shakeup.
ESPN reported during the first half that the Heat had agreed to trade disgruntled star Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors as part of a multi-team deal. If the Miami players knew about the trade, it certainly didn’t faze them as they held off Philadelphia for their fourth win in six games.
Jovic shot 8-of-9 from the field and finished with a season-high 23 points for Miami, which overcame 22 turnovers. Seven of those were committed by Herro and seven more by Bam Adebayo, who contributed 18 points and 13 rebounds. Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points to lead Philadelphia, which had won five of its previous seven games.
–Field Level Media
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