Spurs survive injury scare to Wembanyama, rally to beat Knicks 134-132 in NBA Cup final rematch
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Julian Champagnie had a career-high 36 points and set a franchise record with 11 3-pointers and the San Antonio Spurs survived an injury scare to Victor Wembanyama, rallying to beat the New York Knicks 134-132 on Wednesday night in a rematch of the NBA Cup final.
Wembanyama finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds in 24 minutes before limping off the court with an apparent leg injury with under 11 minutes remaining. He returned to the bench in warmups in the final minutes.
New York’s Jalen Brunson had 29 points, including a 3-pointer at the close of regulation after stripping Keldon Johnson of possession as he celebrated with San Antonio’s bench. Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordan Clarkson added 20 points apiece for the Knicks, who had a three-game winning streak halted.
Wembanyama hobbled off the court unassisted with 10:32 remaining, heading to the locker room after injuring his left leg. He had soared to gather an offensive rebound over Towns and lost possession when he landed. Replays showed there was no contact, but Wembanyama’s left foot slid forward and his knee appeared to hyperextend.
Wembanyama returned to San Antonio’s bench with 1:22 remaining, walking calmly and without a limp. It was a good time for the 7-foot-4 center to return. Wembanyama cheered from the sidelines as the Spurs held on to beat the Knicks to snap a two-game skid.
Champagnie scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, going 4 for 5 on 3-pointers, as San Antonio erased a double-digit deficit.
Champagnie finished 11 for 17 on 3-pointers, besting the previous mark of nine 3s set by Chuck Person on Dec. 30, 1997.
New York outscored San Antonio 28-27 in the second quarter, but it would have been much worse without Wembanyama. The 7-foot-4 center had 16 points in the second period.
Wembanyama brought the sell-out crowd to its feet with a one-handed slam off an alley-oop pass from Castle that cut New York’s lead to 54-50. The Knicks responded with a 17-2 run following a timeout and Wembanyama’s exit, including 14 straight points to cap the surge.
Wembanyama returned to help pare the deficit to 73-63.
Champagnie hit back-to-back 3-pointers, capping a 16-2 run that tied the game at 86 midway through the third.
Wembanyama made his 300th career 3-pointer, becoming the fastest to do so among 7-footers and accomplishing the feat in 138 games. That beat the previous mark of 141 games by Utah’s Lauri Markkanen.
Up next
Knicks: Host Sacramento on Thursday.
Spurs: At Indiana on Friday.
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