NBA highlights on Nov. 2: Spurs find manual for Victor Wembanyama

The San Antonio Spurs beat the Phoenix Suns 132-121 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on Thursday, beating the opponents for the second time in three days.

Having shot 15-for-26 from the field in the game, the Spurs’ first-overall rookie Victor Wembanyama had his first career night. He dropped career-high 38 points, got 30+ points and 10+ rebounds for the first time and became the first teenager in franchise history to score 20 points in the half of a game and the first player in league history to claim 38 points and 10 rebounds within his first five games.

Moreover, Wemby became the third teenager in NBA history to get at least 38 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks after LeBron James and Kevin Durant; he was the third rookie in the Spurs’ history to score a double-double that included at least 35 points after Tim Duncan and David Robinson.

The Spurs still didn’t have a solid playmaker to feed Wembanyama in his sweet spots, but the team did a good job of setting sturdy screens for the French unicorn to attack without too many dribbles. He went 3-for-6 from downtown and 10-for-12 under the hoop. Even if his teammate could find the space to pass to him, they could lob the ball high to the air and expect 2.24-meter-tall Wemby to put it into the basket with his 2.4-meter-long wingspan.

The Suns missed both Devin Booker and Bradley Beal in their confusing loss to the Spurs on Tuesday. Booker returned on Thursday and it only took him one quarter to shake off the rust of the 10-day absence. From the second to the fourth quarters, he shot 10-for-16 in field goals (FGs) to drop 31 points and 11 assists. Kevin Durant made 10 of his 15 shots to get 28 points. The team wouldn’t have wiped the 27-point deficit without their excellent performances.

It was the Suns’ poor defense that cost them Thursday’s game. They kept making the wrong choices in guarding screen plays, including leaving shooters open, battling through screens to guard slashers and allowing defensive mismatch easily. After Keita Bates-Diop made a right corner triple to tie the score at 113 at 4:21 in the fourth quarter, the Suns watched Wemby score 10 points in less than three minutes, completely putting away the competition.

Other games on Thursday (away teams come first):

Toronto Raptors 99-114 Philadelphia 76ers

The Raptors’ forward depth kept Joel Embiid from being efficient at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He had a double-double of 28 points and 13 rebounds, but missed 14 of his 22 FGs. Nonetheless, Embiid took advantage of the opponents’ defensive concentration on him to deliver seven assists.

Meanwhile, when the Raptors invested too much attention in Embiid, they had to leave other 76ers more comfortable. Tobias Harris and Kelly Oubre Jr. combined to get 18-for-30 from the field and get 46 points, helping their side secure the third win in a row.

Detroit Pistons 116-125 New Orleans Pelicans

The Pistons, as one of the youngest teams in the NBA, had seven players score double-digit points with 30 assists at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, but they also committed 16 turnovers and 31 fouls. As a result, the Pelicans went to the free throw line 35 times and made 33 shots there, even though both Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram sat out this game.

The Pelicans had four players score at least 20 points in Thursday’s game, including 33 by CJ McCollum. Jonas Valanciunas contributed a double-double of 23 points and 14 rebounds. He and Herbert Jones combined to deliver seven blocks. Matt Ryan shot to kill at the 3-point line where he missed only one of his seven attempts.

Orlando Magic 115-113 Utah Jazz

Paolo Banchero had a dominant game by getting 30 points and nine rebounds for the Magic at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. He earned 15 free throws and made 10 of them. The 10 points he got in the final quarter were nothing but integral to the team’s close win. He also joined Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony and Anthony Blake to deliver 16 steals in combination.