Sunday’s NBA slate gave us a historic night from Victor Wembanyama, a rookie showcase in Memphis, and a gutsy road win in Charlotte. Let’s get right to it, shall we?
Victor Wembanyama Has a Monster Night
Victor Wembanyama is making it look way too easy.
The San Antonio Spurs star dropped a season-high 43 points on a career-high 34 shot attempts, making 17 of them, to go with 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 6 blocks in a 121-111 win over the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves. The Spurs improved to 4-2 with their fourth straight win.
The history is the headline here. It was the first time a Spur has had 40 points and 5 blocks in the same game since David Robinson in 1996. And it was the first such performance by any NBA player since Joel Embiid in 2022. That’s rarefied air, even for Wembanyama.
Minnesota, for its part, was without Anthony Edwards (knee surgery) and Rudy Gobert (back spasms), and that was too much to overcome.
Grizzlies Stay Perfect, and Two Rookies Shine
The Memphis Grizzlies are 6-0, and they are the NBA’s last unbeaten team. They blew out the Sacramento Kings, 136-105, to match the franchise’s best start, which they also had in 2014-15. Memphis has scored 727 points through six games, the most in franchise history at this point.
Rookie Cameron Boozer led the way with a career-high 27 points and 9 rebounds. The Grizzlies’ bench poured in 81 points, and the team shot 19-of-38 from three. They did all of this without guards Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr., who were both out with back injuries.
The Kings are 0-6, but their rookie deserves a mention. Darius Acuff Jr. exploded for a career-high 38 points, hitting 9 of 14 from three, with 5 rebounds and 5 assists. He is now the youngest player in Kings history with back-to-back 30-point games. If the Kings can find some wins, Acuff will be the reason.
Sixers Beat Hornets Without LeBron and Embiid
The Philadelphia 76ers proved it can win without its stars. Tyrese Maxey scored 38 points, Anfernee Simons added 19 off the bench, and the 76ers held on for a 109-104 win against the Charlotte Hornets. LeBron James and Joel Embiid both rested a night after the Sixers beat the New York Knicks, 98-93, in an intense NBA Cup game. Jaylen Brown, a game-time decision, started and finished with 16 points.
Charlotte seemed to have the momentum. With five minutes left, Brandon Miller blocked VJ Edgecombe’s layup and threw a perfect bounce pass to Moussa Diabate for a dunk, giving the Hornets a 97-90 lead. But Philadelphia chipped away behind two Simons buckets and took the lead for good on a pair of Maxey free throws with 1:22 left. Edgecombe then hit a three for a 105-101 lead.
Sion James missed an uncontested layup with 24 seconds left, Maxey sank two more free throws, and after Miller cut it to three with seven seconds left, Brown iced it from the line with 5.2 seconds to go. The Sixers shot 40% from three and overcame a rough 15-of-23 night at the line.
Grayson Allen had 27 off the bench on 7-of-10 from three for Charlotte, and Miller added 24 with five threes. The Hornets were on the second night of a back-to-back and still missing Coby White (calf) and Kon Knueppel (hamstring).
