Victor Wembanyama achieves rare ‘5×5’ line for the second time in his career and more from around the NBA
By Matias Grez, CNN
(CNN) — Victor Wembanyama recorded the second 5×5 game of his career on Thursday to power the San Antonio Spurs to a 106-88 victory over the Utah Jazz.
Wembanyama finished with 25 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, five steals and five blocks, becoming just the third player in NBA history with multiple 5×5 games after Hakeem Olajuwon and Andrei Kirilenko.
A 5×5 line, a very rare occurrence in the NBA, requires a player to record at least five of a stat in five separate categories, such as points, rebounds, assists, etc.
Olajuwon holds the all-time record with six.
Wembanyama, the 2023-24 Rookie of the Year, previously achieved the feat against the Los Angeles Lakers in February when he notched 27 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, five steals and five blocks.
“It tells me I need to get my standards up when I don’t get 5x5s because I am able to help my team in all those areas,” Wembanyama told Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News after the game.
“It should be a consistent thing. As I have said before, it is something we must have, something I must have more often to help my team.”
Veteran Chris Paul chipped in 19 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds for the Spurs, who improve to 2-3 on the season.
Collin Sexton led the way for the Jazz, who drop to 0-5, with 16 points.
Ja Morant records triple-double in Grizzlies win
Ja Morant recorded the 12th triple-double of his career as the Memphis Grizzlies earned a big 122-99 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Morant recorded 26 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists, including an incredible seated alley-oop pass for a Santi Aldama dunk in the second quarter.
“I don’t ever think I did, honestly,” Morant said when asked if he’d thrown a pass like that before. “I guess there’s a first time for everything.”
Aldama added 19 points and nine rebounds as the Grizzlies bounced back from a two-game losing streak.
The Bucks, however, have now extended their skid to four games after their opening-day win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 37 points and 11 rebounds, but Damian Lillard’s shooting struggles continued as he made just one of his 12 shots, including going 0-for-6 from three-point range. Lillard finished with four points.
The Bucks have struggled under head coach Doc Rivers since he was hired to replace the fired Adrian Griffin last season, with the 63-year-old particularly lamenting the team’s porous defense.
“The defensive transition was still awful tonight,” Rivers told reporters after the game. “So that’s on me, everything is on me until we get it right. We gotta fix this.
“I thought we played with the right spirit. We didn’t make shots and you’re going to have nights like that, but on those nights, we have to find a way to get stops.
“They got whatever they wanted,” Rivers added of the Memphis offense.
Suns rally from huge deficit to beat the Clippers
The Phoenix Suns overturned a 21-point, second-half deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 125-119 on Thursday.
Devin Booker led the Suns’ comeback with 40 points, five rebounds, eight assists and three steals, shooting 61.1% from the floor and making five of his nine three-point attempts.
Royce O’Neale added 21 points and seven rebounds, while Kevin Durant had 18 points.
It’s already the second win the Suns have earned at the Clippers’ new arena this season.
For LA, James Harden recorded a triple-double with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists, while Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac added 23 and 22 points respectively.
The Suns improve to 4-1, while the Clippers fall to 2-3.
Magic star Banchero out indefinitely
The Orlando Magic announced that franchise star Paolo Banchero has been ruled out indefinitely after suffering a torn right oblique and will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks.
The injury occurred in the fourth quarter of the Magic’s 102-99 defeat to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.
Banchero, the 2022-23 Rookie of the Year, has enjoyed a blistering start to the campaign and recorded the first 50-point game of his career in a win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday.
It made Banchero the second-youngest player in league history to record a 50-point, 10-rebound, five-assist game, behind only all-time leading scorer LeBron James.
Thursday night’s full scores
Away @ home (winners in bold)
San Antonio Spurs 106-88 Utah Jazz
Milwaukee Bucks 99-122 Memphis Grizzlies
Phoenix Suns 125-119 Los Angeles Clippers
Houston Rockets 108-102 Dallas Mavericks
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