Victor Wembanyama scored 39 points as the San Antonio Spurs overcame a magical career-high 55-point display from Anthony Edwards to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 126-123 in the NBA on Saturday.<\/p>\n
French prodigy Wembanyama was backed by 25 points from De’Aaron Fox in a high-scoring heavyweight duel against the Edwards-inspired Timberwolves.<\/p>\n
Minnesota had clawed their way back from a 25-point half-time deficit, with Edwards leading an astonishing second half fightback that included 26 points in the fourth quarter as the Timberwolves edged into a 119-118 lead with just over a minute remaining.<\/p>\n
But Wembanyama and Fox reasserted themselves down the stretch, and the Spurs hung on for a win that sees them improve to 28-13 to remain second in the West.<\/p>\n
Fox said the hard-fought nature of the San Antonio win would stand them in good stead in the later stages of the season.<\/p>\n
“We’re playing in a lot of grind it out games, not just blowing teams out,” Fox said. “That does help you in the long run of being used to playing in games like this.<\/p>\n
“But you know, when you’re one of the better teams in the league you have to be able to put your foot on teams and put them away. As a team we have to learn how to do that.”<\/p>\n
San Antonio meanwhile remain in pursuit of Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City, who suffered an upset 122-120 loss to the Miami Heat on the road in Florida on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 39 points for the reigning NBA champions but Miami rattled in 20 three-pointers — including Andrew Wiggins’ winning score with 32 seconds remaining — to hold on for a hard-fought victory.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bam Adebayo led the Miami scoring with 30 points, while Norman Powell finished with 19 on a night when six Heat players finished in double figures.\u00a0<\/p>\n
– Pistons thump Pacers –<\/p>\n
At the top of the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons bagged their 30th win of the season with a brutal 121-78 drubbing of the hapless Indiana Pacers, last year’s NBA Finals runners-up who are bottom of the table.<\/p>\n
The gulf in class between the two teams was evident from the outset, with Detroit roaring into a 31-11 lead at the end of the first quarter before building a mammoth 59-25 lead at half-time.<\/p>\n
Detroit would lead by 46 points at one stage in the fourth quarter before cruising to a wire-to-wire victory that sees them improve to 30-10.<\/p>\n
The Boston Celtics are Detroit’s nearest rivals in the East, improving to 26-15 on Saturday with a 132-106 rout of the Atlanta Hawks.<\/p>\n
Jaylen Brown’s 41-point performance led the Celtics, although the hot hand of Sam Hauser caught the eye with an exhibition of long-range shooting that saw him drain 10 three-pointers on his way to 30 points.<\/p>\n
The third-placed New York Knicks meanwhile stumbled to their third straight loss with a 106-99 defeat to the Phoenix Suns at Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n
Devin Booker led the Suns’ scoring with 27 points against a depleted Knicks line-up missing the injured Jalen Brunson, who is nursing an injured ankle.<\/p>\n
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