Julian Champagnie made 11 three-pointers and an injured Victor Wembanyama scored 31 points as the San Antonio Spurs came from behind to defeat the New York Knicks 134-132.
But Wembanyama brushed off concerns about his fitness after suffering a left knee injury that could have been serious.
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San Antonio, beaten by the Knicks in the NBA Cup final two weeks ago, avenged that defeat in sensational fashion on Thursday (all time AEDT) after rallying from a 19-point second-quarter deficit to claim a stunning victory.
French prodigy Wembanyama was instrumental in the victory, leading a determined fightback that included 31 points and 13 rebounds before going out with a leg injury early in the fourth quarter.
Wembanyama then returned to sit on the bench and celebrated with his teammates as the Spurs closed out a rollercoaster victory that saw them improve to 24-9 and remain second in the Western Conference.
While Wembanyama played a crucial role in the comeback victory, Champagnie provided the offensive spark, unleashing an incredible three-point barrage to finish with 36 points.
Champagnie’s three-point blitz included four threes in the fourth quarter as San Antonio tied the game before pulling away.
“It’s great, man, go out there and do my job,” Champagnie said afterward.
“That’s all I can do…I was just trying to shoot the basketball.”
A crowd of 18,602 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio had been contained earlier in the fourth quarter when
Wembanyama limped off the field after an awkward catch following a rebound.
Speaking after the match, Wembanyama said he suffered a hyperextension of his left knee which would require further examination, but revealed he felt confident he could make a speedy recovery.
“My body feels good, just sore,” Wembanyama said. “I’m very confident, optimistic.”
Wembanyama said he even tried to get back into the game in the fourth quarter: “I was so close to getting back in the game but they had to hold me back.
“It was just hyperextension. It should be minimal, whatever. We need to do everything tomorrow just to make sure everything is okay.”
Wembanyama added that he hopes to be available for San Antonio’s next game on Saturday.
“I expect to be back next game – I don’t know what (the team) expects,” he said.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 29 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 20.
OTHERWISE…
The Milwaukee Bucks suffered a tough loss to the lower-ranked Washington Wizards, 114-113 after a disastrous sequence by the Bucks in the final 10 seconds led to a game-winner by CJ McCollum.
With Milwaukee leading 113-112, Kevin Porter Jr missed a layup as the shot clock expired with 10 seconds left, before Giannis Antetokounmpo’s putback shot was blocked by Alex Sarr.
McCollum raced the floor and hit a fadeaway jumper with one second to secure the win for the Wizards.
The Wizards won their fifth game of their last nine to improve to 8-24 after holding the worst record in the NBA for much of the season.
Antetokounmpo finished with 33 points and 15 rebounds as the Bucks fell to 14-20 overall.
“We don’t have to go back and forth with them. The more you make them believe, the more they stay in the game. So it’s our fault,” Antetokounmpo said after the game, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
“We won two games in a row, sometimes our concentration wasn’t there. We started the game doing the right thing. I think we got away from that a little bit. I just have to do a better job, I have to keep staying for 48 minutes.
“It has to be a team effort, win or lose. We have to do it together.”
Doc Rivers said, “Look, I don’t care how the game ended. We deserved to lose the game. We didn’t play hard enough. We didn’t play well enough together.”
In Toronto, the depleted Nuggets edged the Raptors 106-103 after a Brandon Ingram triple at the buzzer that could have forced overtime was denied on a wild end.
Bruce Brown missed two free throws with 2.7 seconds left to give Toronto a chance to extend the game into an overtime period with a three.
Ingram appeared to do just that after hitting an insane fadeaway shot from beyond the arc as the buzzer sounded and Raptors fans exploded with excitement.
But an officiating review revealed that the ball had not in fact left Ingram’s fingertips when the buzzer sounded to give Denver the victory.
Peyton Watson (24 points) and Jamal Murray (21 points) led the undermanned Nuggets, missing four starters including Nikola Jokic, while Jonas Valanciunas (calf) left the game early to add to their woes.
Ingram led all scorers with 30, including 5 of 7 from three.
In Thursday’s other games, the Golden State Warriors continued their impressive recent form with a 132-125 road victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
Stephen Curry, playing in front of his hometown fans, led Golden State’s scoring with 26 points, including five three-pointers, as the Warriors earned their fifth win in their last six games to improve to 18-16 in the Western Conference standings.
Jimmy Butler and Brandin Podziemski backed Curry with 19 points each.
Curry, who was serenaded with chants of “MVP” during an away game in Brooklyn on Wednesday, was warmly greeted by a record crowd of 19,685 fans in Charlotte.
“It never ceases to amaze me how much support he has everywhere,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Curry.
“It makes sense given who he is, what he’s accomplished, what kind of human being he is… It’s a sign of Steph’s impact on people; there’s something magical about him.”
The Oklahoma City Thunder earned a 124-95 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 30 points.
In other results, the Atlanta Hawks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 126-102 thanks to a 34-point performance from Jalen Johnson in Kristaps Porzingis’ return after missing the last 10 games due to illness.
Dyson Daniels (11 points, eight rebounds, nine assists, two steals, two blocks) filled up the scoring and flirted with a triple-double as Atlanta ended a seven-game losing streak.
while the Orlando Magic beat the Indiana Pacers 112-110 after 29 points from Paolo Banchero.
In Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell beat Devin Booker to lead the Cavaliers to a 129-113 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Mitchell scored 34 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists while Booker finished with 32 points in a losing effort.
ALL RESULTS
Warriors 132 Hornets 125
Timber wolves 102 Falcons 126
Magic 112 Pacers 110
Suns 113 Horsemen 129
Pelicans 118 Bulls 134
Knicks 132 Spurs 134
Nuggets 106 Raptors 103
Wizards 114 $113
TrailBlazers 95 Thunder 124
