Victor Wembanyama has had two consecutive nightmares in the NBA. The Spurs are still assimilating how the Toronto Raptors overcame a 22-point lead yesterday, when this morning they suffered another defeat against the Indiana Pacers even more painful than the previous one. 41 points difference. That is the margin with which Rick Carlisle's team has beaten Gregg Popovich's team at Gainbridge Fieldhouse (152-111). In parallel, Harden debuts with a loss with the Clippers against the New York Knicks (111-97).
A double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds has been the highlight of the number one in the draft who put together one of his worst individual performances so far this season. The bus did not accompany him either. Doug McDermott was the leading scorer for the Texans with 17 points, in addition to four assists and one rebound.
The French prodigy was the fourth top generator on his team, in a game in which both Keldon Johnson (16 points, three assists and three rebounds) and Zach Collins (14P, 2A and 5R) had better numbers than him.
The Pacers are fifth in the East standings with a 4-3 record, thanks to this victory. Tyrese Haliburton led Rick Carlisle's team with 23 points, eight assists and two rebounds in 27 minutes played. On the other hand, the Spurs are eighth in the West with a 3-4, the result of consecutive defeats suffered in the last two rounds.
Tyronn Lue had no problem lining up his top stars in the starting five. The Bosnian center, Ivica Zubac, accompanied on the court a quartet formed by Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and James Harden who wore the Clippers jersey for the first time on the hardwood of Madison Square Garden.
However, the Knicks overcame the stellar Los Angeles team and took the victory at home (111-97) with a brilliant Julius Randle (27 points and 10 rebounds). 'La Barba' added to his personal tally a haul of 17 points, six assists and three rebounds in 31 minutes.
A remarkable performance, taking into account the doubts that were had about the physical condition of the American player. Harden hasn't competed since May, but he still has the reins of the team. His role as a point guard in Philadelphia requires him to best understand George and company.
Another performance that left its mark this day in the NBA was that of Anthony Edwards. The Minnesota Timberwolves forward scored 38 points, leading Chris Finch's team against the Boston Celtics, in a game that went to overtime (114-109).
The Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving duo, who together added 50 points of the Mavericks' 102 total against the Orlando Magic (102-117), or the brilliant performance of Joel Embiid (48 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists) against the Washington Wizards (146-128), has also been the most popular of the night. Likewise, Nikola Jokic surpassed LeBron James in triple-doubles against the Pelicans this morning (108), placing him fourth in this historical classification and stalking Magic Johnson.
