Victor Wembanyama scores a career-high 50 points as LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo also shine

CNN
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Victor Wembanyama became it the fourth youngest player in NBA history to score 50 points in a game Wednesday night as he powered the San Antonio Spurs to a 139-130 victory over the Washington Wizards.

At 20 years and 314 days, the Frenchman accomplished the feat at an age surpassed only by Devin Booker, LeBron James and Brandon Jennings, who holds the record at 20 years and 52 days.

Wembanyama is the eighth player in franchise history to reach the 50 point mark. David Robinson’s 71 points against the Los Angeles Clippers on the final day of the 1993-94 season remains most points scored by a Spurs player in a single game, and until Wednesday it was the last time a San Antonio player had scored 50 points in a game that didn’t go to overtime.

“It’s definitely a big milestone,” Wembanyama told a post-match press conference. “It’s kind of a private club.”

Nevertheless, the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year was keen to emphasize that he is focused on continuing his excellent run.

“In the end, I want the rest of our performance, the rest of our game to overshadow this one,” he said. “I want to make it so that in the future (this) is just another one.

“I love to celebrate the small wins and the big wins in a short period of time. But tomorrow we are already locked into the Lakers.”

Wembanyama also recorded six rebounds, two assists and a career-high eight three-pointers, meaning he has now sunk six or more from beyond the arc in three consecutive games.

Elsewhere, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a season-high 59 points as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Detroit Pistons 127-120 in overtime.

The forward — who made 21 of his 34 shots and added 14 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks — had the second-highest points of his career, five shy of the 64 he scored against the Indiana Pacers last season.

The achievement means that he now holds first, second and fourth place in list of the Bucks’ highest scoring players in a single game. Michael Redd ranks third on the list after scoring 57 against the Utah Jazz in 2006.

With Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis all out with injuries, Milwaukee struggled in the first quarter. Antetokounmpo scored 22 of the team’s 24 points while his teammates went 0-for-12 from the field.

“He just single-handedly kept us in the game with his play,” head coach Doc Rivers said of Antetokounmpo in his postgame press conference.

The third quarter saw the Bucks rally and overcome an 18-point deficit, but after Ron Holland II was fouled by Antetokounmpo in the fourth quarter with one second left in regulation, the Pistons had the perfect opportunity to take the game.

It was one they wanted to miss, but Holland missed both attempts and Milwaukee went on an 8-0 run, including Antetokounmpo’s only three-pointer of the game, to begin overtime.

The two-time NBA MVP would total 11 points in overtime – two more than the Pistons – to complete the win, accounting for 46% of the Bucks’ total points on the night.

“I had to be more aggressive,” he explained after the match. “Sometimes being selfless can be a selfish thing.”

LeBron James found another way to make history Wednesday night, setting the record for oldest player to record three consecutive triple-doubles as the Los Angeles Lakers came from behind to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 128-123.

James, who turns 40 next month, had 35 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds to add to his triple-doubles against the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors in the previous two games.

That means the NBA’s all-time leading scorer has broken his own record as the oldest player to accomplish the feat, which he set in November 2019 when he was 34 years old.

“He’s a master of the game,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick told a postgame news conference. “Obviously we won’t win that game without him.”

Los Angeles trailed 96-91 early in the fourth quarter, but stormed back with a 10-2 run. A turbulent stretch saw the lead change hands three more times before Anthony Davis hit a crucial three-pointer with 4:51 left to put the Lakers up 111-108, a lead they would not relinquish.