NBA roundup: Spurs defeat Raptors, Victor Wembanyama swatted ten shots for a triple-double

On Monday night, the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Toronto Raptors 122-99, with Victor Wembanyama becoming the first rookie in over 34 years to get a triple-double with blocked shots.

Wembanyama had a career-high 10 blocks, grabbed 14 rebounds, and put up 27 points. The only other rookies in NBA history to record three triple-doubles while blocking shots were Mark Eaton (1982–83), Ralph Sampson (1983–84), and David Robinson (1989–90).
Wembanyama shot 10-for-14 from the field and provided five assists.
Gradey Dick scored eighteen points, while Kelly Olynyk scored seventeen. The Raptors have now dropped their last two games. Bruce Brown and Jakob Poeltl each contributed 12 points, while RJ Barrett scored 13.

76ers 123, Cavaliers 121

Cleveland’s nine-game winning streak was ended by visiting Philadelphia thanks to the 24 points apiece from Buddy Hield and Kelly Oubre Jr.

In the last 1:13, Cleveland went on a 9-0 run and outscored Philadelphia 11-3 overall after Oubre’s 3-pointer put the 76ers ahead 120-110. With 1.1 seconds remaining, Paul Reed rejected Donovan Mitchell’s attempt to send the game into overtime. Mitchell finished with a game-high 36 points.

Mitchell retrieved the lost ball and discovered an unguarded Darius Garland in the corner, but his effort to make the game-winning 3-pointer was unsuccessful. In the defeat, Garland ended with nine assists and 21 points.

Rockets 105, Knicks 103

With 0.3 seconds left, Aaron Holiday made two free throws to break a tie, and Houston defeated visiting New York to end a four-game losing streak.

Holiday took a foul from Jalen Brunson as he attempted a desperate heave right before the buzzer, which helped the Rockets take a 91-80 lead. Holiday had scored nine points in the first three minutes of the quarter. With 8.7 seconds left, Brunson’s 15-foot jumper had tied the score for the Knicks.
In the second half, Josh Hart combined for 17 points and 11 rebounds, Donte DiVincenzo of New York scored 23 points, and Brunson scored 20 of his game-high 27 points. With 23 points, Dillon Brooks led the Rockets.

Hornets 111, Pacers 102

In his second game back in his hometown, Grant Williams scored 21 points to lead Charlotte to win over Indiana.

Although Miles Bridges scored 20 points for the Hornets, the main stories of this game were the impressive performances of Charlotte rookies Williams and Seth Curry, who had only been in their city for a few days. Curry scored eighteen points. Both players were acquired through trade from the Dallas Mavericks.
Aaron Nesmith scored 21 points and Myles Turner added 22 for the Pacers, who have now dropped two of their last five games.

Bulls 136, Hawks 126

Visiting Chicago defeated Atlanta thanks to a fourth-quarter comeback that included a career-high 29 points from Ayo Dosunmu and a pivotal 3-pointer.

With 4:13 remaining, Dosunmu scored the three-pointer to cap a 9-0 run that gave the Bulls a 10-point lead and increased their lead to 121-111. Atlanta never again came within six points. DeMar DeRozan of Chicago scored 29 points as well.
De’Andre Hunter scored 23 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 28 points, including six 3-pointers, to lead Atlanta. Trae Young finished with 19 points, 14 assists, and a 3-for-14 shooting percentage.

Bucks 112, Nuggets 95

Giannis Antetokounmpo led host Milwaukee to another encouraging defensive effort against Denver, scoring 36 points and matching his season high with 18 rebounds.

In thirty minutes, Damian Lillard scored eighteen points, and Antetokounmpo contributed two blocks, three steals, and three steals for Milwaukee, which now stands at 3-5 under Doc Rivers. After giving up 84 points, the fewest points this season, in a victory against the Charlotte Hornets, the Bucks held Denver to 38.3 percent shooting the next game.
With 29 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists, Nikola Jokic led Denver. After Jamal Murray (leg) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (hamstring) left the game during the first half, the Nuggets had to play with a reduced roster.

Pelicans 96, Grizzlies 87

Five New Orleans players scored in double digits, led by Herbert Jones’ 17 points, as the visiting Pelicans held off Memphis to defeat them.

The Pelicans concluded a 3-1 road trip with 11 points from CJ McCollum, 16 points from Brandon Ingram, 14 points from Zion Williamson, and 10 points from Jose Alvarado.
With an NBA-worst losing skid of nine games, the injury-plagued Grizzlies were led by 22-point scorer Jaren Jackson Jr. Vince Williams Jr. and Luke Kennard both contributed 12 points.

Mavericks 112, Wizards 104

Luka Doncic scored his tenth triple-double of the year, and Dallas won its fifth straight game after coming back from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter against visiting Washington.

Doncic ended with 15 assists, 11 rebounds, and 26 points on 8 of 16 shooting. Daniel Gafford, a former Wizard, contributed 16 points, 17 rebounds, and five blocked shots in addition to Kyrie Irving’s 26 points.
Leading the Wizards with 25 points was Deni Avdija, followed by Kyle Kuzma with 23. With a career-high 16 assists, Tyus Jones finished with 14 points. Washington is now seven games behind.

Warriors 129, Jazz 107

In a win over Utah in Salt Lake City, Klay Thompson led a balanced Golden State attack with 26 points.

In the last eight minutes, Stephen Curry scored 25 points, five of which came from 3-point range. In addition, he pulled down six rebounds and disheveled out 10 assists to help Golden State win its fifth straight game. For the Warriors, Draymond Green finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, while Andrew Wiggins scored 17 points.
Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton each scored 22 points apiece to lead the Jazz, who dropped their sixth straight game.

Timberwolves 121, Clippers 100

In a matchup between two of the best teams in the Western Conference, visiting Minnesota defeated Angeles behind the scoring of 24 points from Karl-Anthony Towns and 23 points and eight assists from Anthony Edwards.

The top-ranked Timberwolves advanced to 2-1 on a five-game road trip ahead of the All-Star break thanks to 17 points, 10 rebounds, four blocked shots, and 15 points from Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The Clippers, who have an NBA-best 27-6 run since the beginning of December, have pulled within a half-game of the first-place Wolves with 18 points apiece from Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, and 17 from James Harden.