The Los Angeles Lakers, with LeBron James back, defeated the San Antonio Spurs 123-118 this Friday in a vibrant duel of giants between Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Davis. ‘Wemby’ scored 27 points (7 of 16 on field goals, 3 of 8 on triples), 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 steals and 5 blocks.
The French prodigy is, along with Jamaal Tinsley (2001), the only rookie in NBA history with a 5×5 game, that is, at least five of value in five different statistics. The last player to achieve a 5×5 in the NBA was Jusuf Nurkic in 2019.
Wembanyama had a spectacular start with 16 points and 6 rebounds in a wonderful first quarter in which he displayed his impressive catalog of skills. This was his third game against the Lakers and his first on the court of those in purple and gold.
For his part, Davis also showed muscle in the zone with 28 points (10 of 14) and 13 rebounds. However, the Lakers’ offensive reference was LeBron, who missed Thursday’s game (defeat against the Golden State Warriors) due to ankle discomfort and who against the Spurs had 30 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists.
Top scorer in the history of the league, LeBron, at 39 years old and in his 21st season in the league, is only 102 points away from reaching the never-before-reached figure in the NBA of 40,000 points.
The Lakers have a record of 31-27, which leaves them ninth in the West. On Sunday they will have a duel marked in red as they will travel to Phoenix to face the Suns, direct rivals for the ‘play-in’ and eighth in that conference with a record of 33-24.
For their part, the Spurs are last in the West with a record of 11-46 and have only won one of their nine games in February.
