Victor Wembanyama secured victory for the San Antonio Spurs thanks to a historic performance against the Chicago Bulls, while Cade Cunningham set a new career high against the Wizards. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers had little trouble with the Hornets.
Wembanyama shines in the fourth quarter
After a few quieter games recently, Wembanyama made an impressive comeback against the Bulls. The Frenchman was unstoppable in the fourth quarter in particular, scoring 18 points in the final period, including two clutch three-pointers in the final minute that ultimately sealed the victory. The Bulls had led by double digits at the start of the fourth quarter, but then shot only 28 percent in the final twelve minutes. Wemby finished the game with 38 points (11/19 FG, 6/9 three-pointers), twelve rebounds, five assists, and five blocks. No player in NBA history had ever achieved a stat line of at least 35 points, ten rebounds, five assists, five blocks, and five three-pointers before.
For the Bulls, who were without their playmaker Josh Giddey, Kevin Huerter (23), Tre Jones (20), and sixth man Ayo Dosunmu (20) were the top scorers.
Cunningham sets career high in seventh straight win
The Pistons remain the hottest team in the league thanks to their seventh win in a row, even if it took overtime and a monster performance from Cunningham to beat the Wizards. The superstar set a new career high with 46 points, which he even turned into a triple-double with twelve rebounds and eleven assists. However, his efficiency will be anything but satisfactory.
He needed an incredible 45 shots to score his 46 points, and he didn’t do much from outside either (2/11). Only at the free throw line was he consistent (16/18). So it was two-way player Daniss Jenkins who saved the Pistons with a three-pointer in the final seconds to send the game into overtime. There, it was a three-pointer by Duncan Robinson with 1:04 left on the clock that sealed the deal.
Jenkins was the hero of the night alongside Cunningham, with 24 points (9/17 FG) and eight rebounds, he had by far the best game of his young career. For Washington, CJ McCollum had his best scoring performance of the season so far (42, 14/25 FG), while newcomer Cam Whitmore contributed another 20 points off the bench. Center Alex Sarr also had a nice double-double (15 points, 15 rebounds).
Lakers cruise past Hornets, Flaggs’ career high not enough
The Los Angeles Lakers, who are also in strong form (six wins in their last seven games), had a much easier time of it. After a mistake-riddled first half, JJ Redick’s team pulled away steadily after halftime and sealed the deal thanks to a strong third quarter (31:15).
Luka Doncic was the outstanding player with 38 points (14/28 FG), six rebounds and seven assists, while Austin Reaves contributed another 24 points on his comeback after a three-game break. For the Hornets, who are still without their star LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges was by far the best scorer with 34 points.
Rookie Cooper Flagg received as little support as Bridges against the Bucks. The No. 1 pick set a new career high with 26 points on a strong shooting percentage (9/16 from the field), but it wasn’t enough for the win – despite a double-digit lead at the start of the fourth quarter. The reason for this was Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored 15 of his 30 points in the final quarter. The Mavs still had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds thanks to P.J. Washington (16), but he missed a crucial free throw.
After Flagg, guard Brandon Williams (19) was the top scorer, while Anthony Davis was again absent with his calf injury. For the Bucks, Kyle Kuzma was the top scorer off the bench (26) after Giannis.
Heat win at the buzzer, Clippers crisis deepens
Things were just as spectacular in Miami as they were in Orlando, with the home team also coming out on top. The Cavaliers had just managed to force overtime with a 36-27 quarter and found themselves with their backs to the wall once again. However, with 0.4 seconds left on the clock, Donovan Mitchell hit a difficult three-pointer from the corner to tie the game and send it into another overtime period. But the Heat had other plans. After the timeout, they blocked Andrew Wiggins nicely, who drove unchallenged to the basket and dunked the ball for the win after an alley-oop pass.
Those were Wiggins’ 22nd and 23rd points, and in the absence of Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, only Norman Powell scored more (33). Mitchell was the Cavs’ top scorer with 28 points, followed by De’Andre Hunter (23). Darius Garland only managed 11 points and had to leave the game in the third quarter due to injury. It looked as if he had injured his toe again, which had forced him to sit out for months.
For the Clippers, on the other hand, the crisis is becoming increasingly acute after their fifth defeat in a row. The Californians trailed the decimated Hawks for almost the entire second half, with a three-pointer from Vit Krejci with 36 seconds left ultimately sealing the deal. The Czech was also the Hawks’ best player that evening, setting a new career high with 28 points (9/13 FG). For the Clippers, who were without Kawhi Leonard due to injury, James Harden (35) was the only player in normal form, with no one else scoring more than 13 points.
