Victor Wembanyama Fuels Spurs Comeback As They Rout Bucks 119-101

Add as a preferred source on Google

Victor Wembanyama shook off an early injury scare to post 22 points and 10 rebounds, helping the San Antonio Spurs dominate the Milwaukee Bucks 119-101, while Anfernee Simons and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led comeback and statement wins for the Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder in other NBA results.

The Spurs controlled Milwaukee almost from the start and were up by 39 early in the fourth quarter, closing out a 119-101 home win at Frost Bank Center. Stephon Castle totalled 19 points and 10 assists, and Julian Champagnie added 13 points and 11 rebounds as San Antonio handed the Bucks a third straight defeat.

Milwaukee’s slide continued after a 139-106 home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on 14 January, when home fans booed the Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 21 points against San Antonio but could not prevent a second successive heavy defeat for the Eastern Conference contenders.

The main early concern for San Antonio came when Wembanyama banged knees with Antetokounmpo’s left leg under the Bucks basket, with 9:18 left in the first quarter. Wembanyama fell to the floor and stayed down in pain, then rose and limped unassisted at a half sprint towards the locker room, worrying the sellout crowd.

Wembanyama returned to the bench by the end of the first quarter and rejoined the action to start the second. During 12 minutes and 27 seconds in that period, Wembanyama produced 11 points, six rebounds and one blocked shot, helping San Antonio build a lead that the Spurs protected comfortably for the rest of the night.

Anfernee Simons came off the bench with a season-high 39 points as the Boston Celtics overturned a big deficit to beat the Miami Heat 119-114. Simons scored 18 of those points in the fourth quarter, sparking a 36-21 finishing period after Boston had trailed by as many as 19.

The 39-point display was the second-highest scoring outing by a reserve in the NBA this season, after Utah’s Brice Sensabaugh hit 43 against the Chicago Bulls on 15 January. Simons also became only the fourth Celtics player in 50 years to reach at least 39 points as a substitute, joining Larry Bird, Todd Day and Payton Pritchard.

Jaylen Brown supported Simons with 27 points, while Sam Hauser contributed 17 for Boston, which produced its second-largest comeback of the campaign after rallying from 20 down to defeat the Indiana Pacers on 22 December. Miami had strong production from Norman Powell with 26 points, plus 22 each from Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, and 16 from Andrew Wiggins, but could not close the game.

Thunder vs Rockets NBA results and fourth-quarter surge

The Oklahoma City Thunder extended their winning run to five games with a 111-91 victory over the Houston Rockets, pulling clear late after a tight contest. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 points, Chet Holmgren added 18, and Cason Wallace delivered 17 from the bench as the NBA leaders dominated the last quarter.

The Thunder were ahead by only two early in the fourth before an 11-2 burst created separation. That key run included one three-pointer from Ajay Mitchell and two from Wallace, pushing the margin to 90-79 with under nine minutes remaining, and Oklahoma City then controlled the closing stages.

Houston actually won the rebounding battle 60-44 but struggled badly with shooting accuracy. Kevin Durant led the Rockets with 19 points but went 0-for-5 from three-point range and 7-for-23 overall. Houston finished at 33.7% from the field and 7-of-24 from deep, while Oklahoma City shot 46.1% and hit 16-of-41 from long distance.

The night’s NBA results highlighted different storylines, from Wembanyama’s brief injury scare and San Antonio’s dominance, to Boston’s deep bench scoring and Oklahoma City’s strong fourth quarter. Across all three games, key contributors delivered double-digit numbers while several contenders, notably Milwaukee and Houston, faced questions over form and shooting efficiency.