Wembanyama's 33 points, 16 rebounds power the Spurs past Nets 122-115 in overtime

By RAUL DOMINGUEZ

SAN ANTONIO (AP) Victor Wembanyama had 33 points and 16 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs overcame 31 points by Brooklyn's Cam Thomas and beat the Nets 122-115 in overtime Sunday night to snap a three-game skid.

Wembanyama added seven assists and seven blocks while collecting his 36th double-double in 60 games. The 7-foot-4 rookie center has five games of at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and five assists.

Wembanyama had an alley-oop dunk and followed that by blocking Dennis Schroder’s layup attempt, preserving San Antonio’s 116-115 lead with 38 seconds remaining.

Schroder finished with 19 points and Mikal Bridges added 14 points, including three in a low-scoring overtime.

Keldon Johnson’s 3-pointer with 64 seconds remaining in regulation put the Spurs up 110-107. Johnson’s 3 closed a 17-4 run, including four straight points from Wembanyama to tie the game.

Schroder ended the run with a 3-pointer to tie the game at 110 with 16 seconds remaining. Schroder’s 3 was sandwiched between missed long-distance shots by Vassell and Wembanyama which could have won the game in regulation.

San Antonio split its two-game set in Austin. The Spurs were in the Texas capital city to broaden their reach financially and build their fan base. The Spurs played in front of two sell-outs and 32,280 in attendance, including a Moody Center-record 16,223 on Friday.

The Nets were without Ben Simmons, who this week had back surgery for the second time in three years.

Brooklyn (26-41) is four games behind Atlanta for 10th place in the Eastern Conference and the final berth in the play-in tournament. The Hawks were to take on the Los Angeles Clippers later Sunday.

San Antonio (15-53) must finish at least 5-9 in its last 14 games to avoid matching the worst record in franchise history - 20-62 set in 1997.

Brooklyn opened and closed strongly, building an 11-point lead in the first and a 10-point advantage in the final quarter. San Antonio chipped away at the lead both times.

Thomas scored 11 points in the first seven minutes as the Nets took an 18-10 lead. He was held scoreless in overtime.

San Antonio managed a tie at 31 despite shooting 1 for 10 on 3-pointers. Brooklyn responded with a 7-0 run.

Wembanyama opened the game 3 for 5 from the field after going 4 for 12 in scoring 17 points against Denver in Friday’s loss. He finished 14 for 26.

UP NEXT

Nets: Host New Orleans on Tuesday night.

Spurs: Host Dallas on Tuesday night.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba