Photo Credit:Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Luka Doncic out-duelled Victor Wembanyam,a and the Los Angeles Lakers edged San Antonio 118-116 on Wednesday as the Portland Trail Blazers rallied to hand NBA champions Oklahoma City their first defeat of the season.
In the highly anticipated first showdown of the season between Doncic and Wembanyama, Slovenian star Doncic delivered a masterful 35 points, nine rebounds and 13 assists.
He added five steals and two blocked shots as the Lakers prevailed in a chaotic finish at Crypto.com Arena, improving to 7-2 as they wait for injured superstar LeBron James to make his season debut.
Wembanyama led the Spurs with 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Stephon Castle and Jeremy Sochan scored 16 points apiece as seven San Antonio players registered double figures – but their balanced attack wasn’t enough.
Wembanyama was in foul trouble much of the game and fouled out with 1:40 remaining and the Spurs trailing 113-112.
The Lakers were clinging to a 118-116 lead with 1.2 seconds remaining when their botched inbounds play gave the Spurs the ball, but San Antonio couldn’t capitalise. “They have an amazing team. They only lost one (other) game, so to come back, being with (Austin Reaves) and LeBron out, it’s unbelievable,” Doncic said.
In Portland, the Trail Blazers erased a 22-point deficit to stun the Thunder 121-119, ending Oklahoma City’s 8-0 winning streak to start the season.
Deni Avdija scored 26 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists and Jrue Holiday added 22 points for the Trail Blazers, who took their first lead of the game, 97-96, on a Holiday jump shot with 6:44 remaining.
The teams would swap the lead four more times before the Blazers managed to pull away. NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made a pair of free throws to pull the Thunder within one with 7.1 seconds left, but Holiday followed with two free throws that proved enough.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points, nine rebounds and four assists and Aaron Wiggins added 27 points for OKC, who led by 22 in an explosive first quarter and by 14 late in the third.
