Wembanyama (40 points, 20 rebounds) and Brunson (61 points) scorers explode! • USA Basketball

The Spurs had to fight back but won their third in a row, an impressive first for them this season, thanks to their overtime success against the Knicks. Jaylen Brunson Incandescent (61 points on 25/47 shooting). Adversity thus forced Victor Vembanyama Coming off his best game of his rookie year with 40 points, 20 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 block on 13/22 shooting to win the game.

It was the Spurs who went on the offensive first with a 14-2 run marked by two 3-point baskets from Keldon Johnson at the end of the first quarter (36-23). Victor Wembanyama stepped on the accelerator with a block on Isaiah Hartenstein and then a coast-to-coast finish in front of Mitchell Robinson, two assists for Malachi Branham after another dunk in transition, under the circle and 3-pointers (50-29).

Brunson on fire

Jalen Brunson struggled almost single-handedly to try to revive the Knicks, going -11 after a 3-pointer from Donte DiVincenzo (65-54). But San Antonio quickly remedied the situation with a 7-0 run by Trey Jones on 3-pointers and fueled by “Wambi” in the alley-oop (74-57). The second try was ultimately true for New York, which opened the third quarter with a 9-0 lead and was able to rely on a fiery Jalen Brunson to tie the game at 83-83.

At the right time, Victor Vembanyama with two 3-pointers after Devin Vassell revived the Texans, quickly returned to +12 after another 3-pointer from Trey Jones (103-91). However, the Brunson-DiVincenzo duo refused to give up and continued their exploits to allow the Knicks to put pressure back on the Spurs at the start of “money-time” (107-106). At the end of the crazy sequence, Donte DiVincenzo managed to give his team the advantage with a 3-point shot from the corner (112-113).

Restraint of Vembanyama

In the final sprint, Jalen Brunson didn’t flinch, scoring three times to put New York ahead (119-121) each time. But neither could Victor Vembanyama, with great composure, grab the precious top or pull off a 4/4 throw to level at 121-121. Miles McBride’s 3-point attempt, served up by Jaylen Brunson on the last possession, missed the mark, forcing both teams into overtime.

This time it was Trey Jones and Victor Vembanyama, with a new top, then a monumental 3-pointer over the head of the racket, who got the better of the determination of Jalen Brunson and his men, missing the 3-pointer for Brunson. Win 5 seconds from the end (130-126).

What you should remember

– Victor Vembanyama’s career record. The Spurs’ French pivot was all good shots from start to finish but we’ll inevitably remember his strong shoulder in the final minutes of the last quarter to allow San Antonio to force overtime, then his two crucial baskets during “overtime” to push it to 40 points. , his new career best, but also 20 rebounds. A brilliant performance with a victory as a bonus.

– A bitter-tasting record for Jalen Brunson. The New York leader carried his team at arm’s length when the gap was around 20 and was the main architect of its comeback in the second half. He separated himself with the first hot shot in the second quarter to finish the first half with 21 points. But what can we say about his third quarter, 10/13 shooting for 24 points that completely put NYC back in the matchup order. He quickly reached his career high of 50 points during the final act, setting a new mark of 61 points at the end of overtime. But all this ultimately did not help since New York lost.

How to read statistics? minutes = minutes; shots = successful shots / attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-point attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D = defensive rebound; T = total rebounds; Pd = Assistants; Fte: Personal Foul; Int = Intercepts; Bp = lost balls; CT: in front of; +/- = point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: A player’s evaluation is calculated from positive actions – negative actions.