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

San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 draft pick, handles a ball during an NBA basketball press conference, Saturday, June 24, 2023, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

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

At 20 years and 314 days old, the Frenchman achieved the feat at an age bettered only by Devin Booker, LeBron James and Brandon Jennings, who is the record holder at 20 years and 52 days.

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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 the most points scored by a Spurs player in a single game, and until Wednesday was the last time a San Antonio player had scored 50 points in a game which did not go to overtime.

“It’s definitely a big milestone,” Wembanyama told a press conference after the game. “It’s kind of a private club.”

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

“Eventually, I want the rest of our performances, the rest of our games 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 for a short amount of time. But tomorrow we’re already locked in on 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.

Giannis scores season-high 59 in Bucks' OT win

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 – posted the second-highest points total of his career, five short of the 64 points he scored against the Indiana Pacers last season.

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

With Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis all missing 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 kept us in the game single-handedly with his play,” head coach Doc Rivers said of Antetokounmpo in his post-game 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 would pass up, however, with Holland missing both attempts and Milwaukee going 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, meaning he accounted for 46% of the Bucks’ total points on the night.

“I had to be more aggressive,” he explained after the game. “Sometimes being unselfish might be a selfish thing.”

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LeBron posts historic third straight triple-double

LeBron James found yet another way to make history on Wednesday night, setting the record for the 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, picked up 35 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds to add to his triple-doubles against the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors in the two previous games.

It means that the NBA’s all-time leading scorer has beaten his own record as the oldest player to achieve 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 post-game press conference. “We don’t win that game, obviously, without him.”

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