Records, a splash, and a two-man officiating crew. Thursday’s NBA slate had all of it, so here’s what mattered, starting with Victor Wembanyama’s wonderful outing at home.
Victor Wembanyama Has a Career Night
Victor Wembanyama is playing a different sport. He had career highs of 52 points and 24 rebounds, along with 8 blocks, as the San Antonio Spurs held off the Dallas Mavericks, 112-111. He shot 16-for-28 from the field and 19-for-23 from the line in 34 minutes, adding 2 assists and 2 steals. San Antonio improved to 6-2 with its sixth straight win.
Notably, Wembanyama did it quickly. He had 29 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks in the first half, making him the first player in the play-by-play era, which dates to 1996–97, with at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks in a half. He even blocked three shots in a 13-second span on one possession.
The final line is historic. Wembanyama is the first player since blocks became official in 1973–74 with 50 points, 20 rebounds, and 8 blocks in a game. It’s only the second 50/20/5 game overall, joining Bob McAdoo in 1974. The Spurs were +23 with him on the floor and –22 when he sat. Dallas made a late rally, and Kyrie Irving, who scored 29, missed a contested turnaround at the buzzer.
Klay Thompson Hits the Dagger
The Splash Brother now with the Miami Heat turned back the clock. Klay Thompson hit a 23-foot three from the left corner with 1.0 second left in overtime to give the Miami Heat a 117-116 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Miami trailed, 116-114, with about 3.3 seconds left in the extra period when Giannis Antetokounmpo inbounded to Thompson, and Bam Adebayo set a key screen. Kobe Sanders missed a desperation heave at the buzzer. Thompson finished with 30 points on 11-of-22 shooting, including 8-for-17 from three, his best game of the young season after an inconsistent start. He has scored at least 19 points in three straight games, which means he might be heating up for the Heat.
Pelicans Rally Past Jazz, With Two Officials
The New Orleans Pelicans won ugly, and it had to do it the hard way. Saddiq Bey scored six straight points in the final minutes of overtime to cap a 22-point night, and the Pelicans rallied to beat the Utah Jazz, 120-113, for their fourth straight win after an 0-4 start.
Utah had its chances. Keyonte George, whose game winner in regulation came just a tad too late, scored 39 points and hit consecutive threes in the first minute of overtime for a 110-104 lead. The Pelicans answered with 14 straight points, including Bey’s off-balance six-footer that rolled all the way around the rim before dropping in to make it 116-110 with 39 seconds left. The Jazz have now lost six in a row, and their only win this season came against New Orleans earlier in the year.
The comeback was Zion Williamson’s doing. He scored 23 points, all after halftime, as New Orleans erased a 13-point deficit late in the third quarter. Dejounte Murray had 20 points in his return after a three-game absence for the birth of a child, and Derik Queen scored 14 of his 20 in the fourth quarter. Jeremiah Fears added 19, and Trey Murphy III sat out with knee soreness.
Lauri Markkanen had 21 points and 10 rebounds, hitting two threes in the last 1:36 of regulation for a 104-100 lead. Williamson’s driving layup and Murray’s free throws tied it with 6.4 seconds left, and George was a fraction of a second late getting off a pull-up that went in, which sent the game to overtime. Then came the oddity. Official Courtney Kirkland left the court with an apparent left leg injury during overtime, and the game was finished with only two officials.
