SAN ANTONIO — Chris Paul moved into second place on the NBA’s career assists list, Victor Wembanyama came back from an injury scare to score 25 points, and the San Antonio Spurs held on to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 121-116 on Sunday night (Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, PH time).
Paul had 10 assists, giving him 12,099 for his career and moving him past former Phoenix and Dallas star Jason Kidd (12,091). John Stockton is the league’s career leader with 15,806 career assists over 19 seasons, all with the Utah Jazz.
Stephon Castle added 22 points for San Antonio, which snapped a three-game skid.
Wembanyama left the game with 8:59 remaining in the first quarter when he clutched his lower back. He had missed the previous two games with lower back soreness. But he returned to Sunday’s game with 9:34 remaining in the second quarter.
Trey Murphy III scored 25 points and C.J. McCollum had 19 for the Pelicans. Dejounte Murray added 18 points and 11 assists and Yves Missi had 18 points and 14 rebounds.
New Orleans’ starting five scored 92 points.
San Antonio lost Zach Collins and Keldon Johnson to injuries in the first half. Collins exited midway through the first quarter with a lower back injury when he landed on his right hip after fouling and tumbling over Murray on an attempted rebound. Johnson suffered a left calf injury with 7:11 remaining in the half.
Paul assisted on Wembanyama’s 3-pointer with 37 seconds remaining to snap a five-minute scoring drought and put the Spurs up 117-116. Prior to Wembanyama’s 3, the Pelicans had a 13-0 run to take a 116-114 lead with a minute remaining in the game.
The 39-year-old Paul moved into second place when the 20-year-old Wembanyama made a 25-foot 3-pointer with 7:06 remaining in the first half against New Orleans, the franchise where his 20-year career began.
Warriors 114, Timberwolves 106
SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry sank a 39-foot jumper from nearly halfcourt to beat the third-quarter buzzer and finished with 30 points and eight assists, leading the Golden State Warriors past the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-106 in the teams’ second meeting over three days.
Curry found Jonathan Kuminga for a go-ahead dunk with 2:55 to play and hit Buddy Hield for a clutch 3-pointer at the 58-second mark.
Hield scored 27 points, including consecutive 3-pointers midway through the third that tied the game at 69 and another that put Golden State ahead. Hield had seven 3s and is one shy of becoming the 17th player in NBA history to reach 2,000.
Kuminga had 20 points and seven rebounds.
Anthony Edwards scored 27 points as Minnesota’s four-game winning streak ended.
G Rob Dillingham missed his fourth straight game with a sprained right ankle and fifth consecutive overall. Minnesota had won five straight in the series.
The Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins was out with a troublesome right ankle that limited him Friday.
Draymond Green was whistled for a foul 13 seconds into the second half on which a driving Rudy Gobert grabbed at the left side of his face. The Warriors challenged and it was determined on review that Green had made contact with the big man’s eye.
After Hield’s 3-pointer started Golden State’s scoring in the second quarter, Curry had 10 straight points, including consecutive 3s. Curry hit another 3-pointer 53 seconds before halftime, moments after Gary Payton II blocked Julius Randle’s shot.
Nuggets 141, Hawks 111
ATLANTA — Nikola Jokic scored 48 points and the Denver Nuggets never trailed in their 141-111 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
The Nuggets snapped a two-game losing streak that included Saturday night’s 122-113 loss at Washington, ending the Wizards’ 16-game losing streak. Jokic scored a career-high 56 points in the loss.
Jokic kept up his hot shooting against Atlanta and added 14 rebounds and eight assists. Michael Porter Jr. matched his season high with 26 points.
De’Andre Hunter led Atlanta with 20 points. Hunter was escorted to the locker room midway through the third quarter after he was hit on his head on a blocked shot by Aaron Gordon, who was not called for a foul, but returned.
Dyson Daniels added 18 points and Trae Young had 15 points and 10 assists for the Hawks.
Jamal Murray was sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Elsewhere, the Charlotte Hornets beat the Indiana Pacers 113-109, Miami Heat beat Cleveland Cavaliers 122-113, Orlando Magic turned back Phoenix Suns 115-110, Memphis Grizzlies won 140-112 over Washington Wizards, Sacramento Kings blew out Utah Jazz 141-97, Houston Rockets won 117-106 over Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers defeated Chicago Bulls 108-100, Milwaukee Bucks beat Brooklyn Nets 118-113, and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 107-98. / AP