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Victor Wembanyama scored 29 points as the San Antonio Spurs laid down a playoff marker with a dazzling 145-120 thrashing of the Houston Rockets on Sunday.<\/p>\n
French superstar Wembanyama was one of six Spurs players to reach double figures as San Antonio bombarded Western Conference rivals Houston with a stream of 21 three-pointers.<\/p>\n
Wembyanama dominated at both ends of the court, fleshing out his stat line with four blocks and two steals in addition to eight rebounds.<\/p>\n
The towering Frenchman was backed with 23 points from Stephon Castle and 20 points apiece from De’Aaron Fox and Keldon Johnson.<\/p>\n
“It was fun — teams have a hard time figuring us out,” Wembanyama told NBC Peacock after the rout. “Everybody can make shots from everywhere on the court, so we have answers for anybody.<\/p>\n
“It’s all momentum. We’ve got guys playing with confidence. It’s just beautiful to see.”<\/p>\n
The win cemented San Antonio’s status as the form team of the NBA heading into the final weeks of the regular season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Spurs are now second in the Western Conference with a 47-17 record and have won 15 of their last 16 games.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In other games on Sunday, Luka Doncic scored 35 points as the Los Angeles Lakers shrugged off the injury absence of LeBron James to score a convincing 110-97 defeat of the in-form New York Knicks.<\/p>\n
Slovenian star Doncic rattled in five three-pointers and shot 11-of-25 from the field to help the Lakers complete a wire-to-wire victory in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
The Lakers went into the game short-handed with James ruled out with a left elbow contusion following a heavy fall in Thursday’s defeat to Denver.<\/p>\n
But Doncic and Austin Reaves picked up the offensive slack, combining for 60 points against a potent Knicks team who have averaged 117 points per game this season.<\/p>\n
– Celtics roll, Pistons slump –<\/p>\n
Lakers coach JJ Redick said his team’s all-round effort in stifling the Knicks’ offense had created the platform for victory.<\/p>\n