In an insane overtime thriller between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks on Friday night, Victor Wembanyama‘s Spurs emerged as champions with a final score of 130-126. The AT&T Center crowd erupted as the final buzzer sounded. Wembanyama, who had a historic double-double with 40 points and 20 rebounds, showered the fans with praise after the game.

Despite the Spurs’ rough record of 18 wins and 56 losses, Wembanyama acknowledged, “70 games through the season, I still see this place packed EVERY NIGHT. Love you guys, love the support… Go Spurs go!”

In a thrilling overtime clash, Jalen Brunson came oh-so-close to recording his name atop the New York Knicks’ record books. Brunson poured in a career-high 61 points, one shy of Carmelo Anthony’s franchise record set in 2014. A clutch three-pointer with 5.4 seconds remaining in overtime could have sealed the Knicks’ victory, but it just wasn’t their night. Brunson’s performance ranks as the 5th-highest scoring night in the NBA this season.

On the opposite side of the court, we got rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama who put on a show of his own. He became the first rookie since Shaquille O’Neal in 1993 to record a 40-point, 20-rebound double-double. Wembanyama’s clutch three in the overtime gave the San Antonio Spurs a crucial 4-point lead. He also added a steal and a block to his stat sheet, collecting his 39th double-double in just 65 games! Devin Vasell chipped in with 23 points for the Spurs, who bagged their first 3-game winning streak of the season.

Knicks’ DiVincenzo finished with 20 points and set a new single-season mark for 3-pointers made (245). However, the Knicks (44-29) now trail the Cleveland Cavaliers (45-29) for the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference by a half-game while the Spurs float around the bottom of the table.

San Antonio’s Sell-Out Streak

After holding their previous 10 opponents to an average of 93.4 points per game (including 3 held under 80 points), the Knicks surrendered 74 points to the Spurs in the first half alone. For the Spurs, this marked their highest-scoring first half since putting up 75 points against the Phoenix Suns in early November. The Spurs did suffer a loss on the injury front, however, as Jeremy Sochan exited the game in the 2nd quarter with a sore left ankle.

San Antonio held a lead as large as 13 points in the 1st quarter, building a 38-27 lead. This marked the first time the Spurs have reached 38 points in the opening period since December, and they have a winning record (3-1) in games where they score 38 or more in the first quarter. Young Wembanyama, clearly inspired by the sell-out crowd, acknowledged that their dedication is the real reason the team keeps fighting, even on rough nights!

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