Victor Wembanyama became the first rookie in nearly 34 years to have a triple-double with blocked shots, leading the visiting San Antonio Spurs to a 122-99 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Monday night.
Wembanyama amassed 27 points, 14 rebounds and a career-best 10 blocks. The only other rookies to post a triple-double with blocked shots in NBA history were David Robinson (three times in 1989-90), Ralph Sampson (1983-84) and Mark Eaton (1982-83).
Wembanyama contributed five assists and shot 10-for-14 from the floor.
Gradey Dick logged 18 points and Kelly Olynyk recorded 17 for the Raptors, who have lost two in a row. RJ Barrett had 13 points and Jakob Poeltl and Bruce Brown each had 12 points.
76ers 123, Cavaliers 121
Buddy Hield and Kelly Oubre Jr. each scored 24 points and made key fourth-quarter contributions as visiting Philadelphia snapped Cleveland’s nine-game winning streak.
After Oubre’s 3-pointer put the 76ers ahead 120-110, Cleveland went on a 9-0 run and outscored Philadelphia 11-3 overall in the final 1:13. Donovan Mitchell, who scored a game-high 36 points, attacked the rim looking to send the game to overtime, but Paul Reed blocked his shot with 1.1 seconds to go.
Mitchell collected the loose ball and found an open Darius Garland in the corner, but his potential game-winning 3-point attempt was no good. Garland finished with 21 points and nine assists in the loss.
Rockets 105, Knicks 103
Aaron Holiday broke a tie by sinking two free throws with 0.3 seconds remaining and Houston snapped a four-game skid with a win over visiting New York.
Holiday, whose scoring burst to open the fourth quarter helped the Rockets build a 91-80 lead, absorbed a foul from Jalen Brunson while attempting a desperation heave just before the buzzer. Brunson had pulled the Knicks even by hitting a 15-foot jumper with 8.7 seconds remaining.
Brunson scored 20 of his game-high 27 points in the second half while New York’s Donte DiVincenzo added 23 points and Josh Hart paired 17 points with 11 rebounds. Dillon Brooks led the Rockets with 23 points.
Hornets 111, Pacers 102
Grant Williams scored 21 points in his second home game with his hometown team, helping Charlotte to a victory against Indiana.
Miles Bridges posted 20 points for the Hornets, but this game was largely about Charlotte newcomers Williams and Seth Curry making huge impacts just days after arriving to play in their hometown. Curry had 18 points. The duo came over from the Dallas Mavericks via trade.
Myles Turner scored 22 points and Aaron Nesmith added 21 for the Pacers, who lost for the second time in their past five games.
Bulls 136, Hawks 126
Ayo Dosunmu scored a career-high 29 points and hit a crucial 3-pointer as part of a fourth-quarter run that allowed visiting Chicago to grab a win over Atlanta.
Dosunmu made the trey with 4:13 left to headline a 9-0 burst that opened up a 10-point lead, upping the Bulls’ advantage to 121-111. Atlanta never got closer than six again. Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan also scored 29 points.
Atlanta was led by Bogdan Bogdanovic with 28 points, including six 3-pointers, and De’Andre Hunter with 23 points. Trae Young had 19 points and 14 assists but shot 3-for-14 from the field.
Bucks 112, Nuggets 95
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 36 points and matched his season high with 18 rebounds as host Milwaukee turned in another encouraging defensive performance against Denver.
Damian Lillard scored 18 points and Antetokounmpo added three steals and two blocks in 30 minutes for Milwaukee, which improved to 3-5 since Doc Rivers took over as coach. One game after allowing a season-low 84 points in a win over the Charlotte Hornets, the Bucks limited Denver to 38.3 percent shooting.
Nikola Jokic led Denver with 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. The Nuggets played short-handed after Jamal Murray (leg) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (hamstring) exited the game in the first half.
Pelicans 96, Grizzlies 87
Herbert Jones scored 17 points to lead five New Orleans scorers in double figures and the visiting Pelicans held off sinking Memphis.
Brandon Ingram added 16 points, Zion Williamson scored 14, CJ McCollum had 11 and Jose Alvarado chipped in with 10 as the Pelicans finished a 3-1 road trip.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 22 points to lead the injury-plagued Grizzlies, whose NBA-worst losing streak reached nine games. Luke Kennard and Vince Williams Jr. added 12 points apiece.
Mavericks 112, Wizards 104
Luka Doncic recorded his 10th triple-double of the season and Dallas rallied from 11 points down in the fourth quarter to defeat visiting Washington for its fifth straight win.
Doncic finished with 26 points on 8-of-16 shooting, 15 assists and 11 rebounds. Kyrie Irving also scored 26 points, and former Wizard Daniel Gafford added 16 points, 17 rebounds and five blocked shots.
Deni Avdija led the Wizards with 25 points and Kyle Kuzma scored 23. Tyus Jones had 14 points and a career-high 16 assists. Washington has lost seven in a row.
Warriors 129, Jazz 107
Klay Thompson scored 26 points to lead a balanced Golden State attack in a victory over Utah in Salt Lake City.
Stephen Curry added 25 points, including five 3-pointers in the final eight minutes. He also dished out 10 assists and grabbed six rebounds as Golden State won its fifth game in a row. Andrew Wiggins contributed 17 points while Draymond Green totaled 12 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Warriors.
Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson each scored 22 points for the Jazz, who lost for the fifth time in seven games.
Timberwolves 121, Clippers 100
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 24 points and Anthony Edwards added 23 points and eight assists as visiting Minnesota beat Angeles in a showdown between two of the top teams in the Western Conference.
Rudy Gobert had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots while Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 15 points as the first-place Timberwolves improved to 2-1 on a five-game road trip in advance of the All-Star break.
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George each scored 18 points, and James Harden added 17 for the Clippers, who had moved within a half-game of the first-place Wolves with an NBA-best 27-6 run since the start of December.
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