Victor Wembanyama contributed 33 points and 16 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Brooklyn Nets 122-115 in overtime, snapping a three-game skid. He added seven assists and seven blocks while collecting his 36th double-double in 60 games. Brooklyn coach Kevin Ollie said that the team made some clutch shots, and Wembanyama said that they did an unbelievable job.
Wembanyama blocked Dennis Schroder’s layup against the glass to keep the Spurs within a point, followed by an alley-oop dunk off an assist from Devin Vassell to put San Antonio up 116-115 with 38 seconds remaining in overtime. Keldon Johnson added 24 points for San Antonio, while Schroder finished with 19 points and Mikal Bridges added 14 points, including three in a low-scoring overtime for both teams.
Keldon Johnson’s 3-pointer with 64 seconds remaining in regulation put the Spurs up 110-107, and Johnson’s 3 closed a 17-4 run, including four straight points from Wembanyama to tie the game. Schroder ended the run with a 3-pointer to tie the game at 110 with 16 seconds remaining. Schroder’s 3 was sandwiched between missed long-distance shots by Vassell and Wembanyama, which could have won the game in regulation.
San Antonio split its two-game set in Austin to broaden their reach financially and build their fan base. The Spurs played in front of two sellouts and 32,280 in attendance, including a Moody Center-record 16,223 on Friday.
Brooklyn was without Ben Simmons, who had back surgery for the second time in three years. The Hawks are four games behind Atlanta for 10th place in the Eastern Conference and the final berth in the play-in tournament. The Nets lost 121-100 to the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.
San Antonio must finish at least 5-9 in its last 14 games to avoid matching the worst record in franchise history — 20-62 set in 1997. Wembanyama said that there is always steps, and looking back and looking at the season, it adds up to something big.
(AP)
