By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Victor Wembanyama sent the San Antonio Spurs to a 128-115 victory versus the Utah Jazz in Delta Center.
On Tuesday, the 20-year-old French upstart scored 34 points with 13/23 field goals, including 6/14 from beyond the arc. Over 36 minutes in Salt Lake City, he added seven rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and one steal.
Growing the lead in the fourth quarter to improve to 10-8 in the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season and 2-1 in West: Group B of the Emirates NBA Cup boosted Wemby.
“I will not say we were not confident last year but now we bring more knowledge on the court and for sure more confidence,” he described his side’s effort down the stretch of games, “We failed some times. We made mistakes. I would not even call that a failure. We learned.”
After registering nine points with 4/4 from the field, two rebounds, and one steal, Georgian Sandro Mamukelashvili talked about the team effort at the defensive end.
“The coaching staff is very strict about it. They want us to make sure we come out there and defense ourselves in the game instead of offensing ourselves in the game, if that makes sense,” he said.
For the Jazz, Finnish Lauri Markkanen left the game in the fourth quarter after a collision with Wembanyama. He had 14 points, eight rebounds, two steals, and two assists until suffering a left knee contusion.
With the Phoenix Suns overpowering the Los Angeles Lakers, 127-100, in Footprint Center, both sides went 2-1 in West: Group B of the NBA Cup, tied with the Spurs. Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic chipped in a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double alongside three assists, one steal, and one block.
Emirates NBA Cup Standings
East: Group A
1. Orlando Magic 2-0
2. New York Knicks 2-0
3. Philadelphia 76ers 1-2
4. Brooklyn Nets 1-2
5. Charlotte Hornets 0-2
East: Group B
1. Milwaukee Bucks 3-0
2. Detroit Pistons 2-0
3. Miami Heat 1-2
4. e-Toronto Raptors 0-2
5. Indiana Pacers 0-2
East: Group C
1. Chicago Bulls 2-1
2. Atlanta Hawks 2-1
3. Boston Celtics 2-1
4. Cleveland Cavaliers 1-1
5. e-Washington Wizards 0-3
West: Group A
1. y-Houston Rockets 3-0
2. Los Angeles Clippers 1-1
3. Portland Trail Blazers 1-1
4. Minnesota Timberwolves 1-2
5. Sacramento Kings 0-2
West: Group B
1. Phoenix Suns 2-1
2. Los Angeles Lakers 2-1
3. San Antonio Spurs 2-1
4. Oklahoma City Thunder 1-1
5. e-Utah Jazz 0-3
West: Group C
1. y-Golden State Warriors 3-0
2. Dallas Mavericks 2-1
3. e-New Orleans Pelicans 1-2
4. Denver Nuggets 1-2
5. Memphis Grizzlies 0-2
-The top teams from each group and the best-placed second seeds in both conference advance to the Quarterfinals
y-clinched berth
e-eliminated