By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Devin Vassell scored 21 points, De’Aaron Fox added 20 and the San Antonio Spurs overcame Victor Wembanyama’s rough night to beat the Toronto Raptors 110-107 on Wednesday, Feb. 25, extending their season-best win streak to 10 games.
Wembanyama scored 12 points on 3-of-12 shooting. He went 1 for 6 from 3-point range and 5 for 6 at the free-throw line, where his lone miss came with 8.7 seconds left in regulation and his team ahead by three.
Toronto’s Brandon Ingram missed a 3 that would have tied the game, and Wembanyama grabbed the rebound.
Wembanyama finished with eight boards and three assists in 30 minutes. He also had five blocks, including a pivotal one on Jakob Poeltl with 44 seconds left.
Dylan Harper scored 15 points, Stephon Castle had 13 and Julian Champagnie 10 as the Spurs won their fifth straight meeting with the Raptors.
Ingram had 20 points and a season-high 11 rebounds, Immanuel Quickley scored 20 points and Scottie Barnes added 15 as the Raptors lost their third straight at home.
Poeltl, who sat out Tuesday’s loss to Oklahoma City because of a sore lower back, came off the bench against the Spurs.
Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles got the start against Wembanyama, but exited in the third because of a sore left thumb.
Wembanyama missed all four of his field-goal attempts in the first half, but there was no missing when Champagnie fed him for an alley-oop dunk 38 seconds into the third quarter.
The teams were tied at 69-all midway through the third but Toronto closed the quarter with a 21-9 spurt.
San Antonio reclaimed the lead, 93-92, on Luke Kornet’s dunk with 7:26 remaining as the Raptors missed eight straight shots to begin the fourth.
Meanwhile, Will Richard scored 21 points, Brandin Podziemski and Gary Payton II added 19 apiece and the Golden State Warriors routed the Memphis Grizzlies, 133-112, in a game between two teams depleted by injuries.
Gui Santos added 17 points as eight of the nine Golden State players who saw action reached double figures. The ninth player, Malevy Leons, had nine points.
The Warriors built a double-digit lead in the first half, stretched the margin to 32 in the fourth quarter and coasted to the victory.
GG Jackson had 24 points and eight rebounds for Memphis. Ty Jerome finished with 22 points and five assists. Javon Small scored 16 points.
The Warriors are still jockeying for postseason positioning, beginning the night slotted eighth in the West after a 113-109 loss in New Orleans on Tuesday night. The Grizzlies have been on the skids since late January, dropping two straight and 12 of their last 15 entering Wednesday’s game. The loss dropped Memphis into a tie for 12th place in the West with the idle Dallas Mavericks.
Earlier, Jalen Duren had 29 points and 15 rebounds, Cade Cunningham added 29 points and 13 assists and the Detroit Pistons beat the short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder, 124-116, in a matchup of conference leaders.
The Thunder started the game without five of their six leading scorers — Shai Alexander-Gilgeous (abdomen), Isaiah Hartenstein (calf), Chet Holmgren (back), Ajay Mitchell (abdomen) and Jalen Williams (hamstring). The only one of the top six to start was Isaiah Joe, and he left at halftime because of a bruised hip.
Duncan Robinson added 16 points for East-leading Detroit. The Pistons have won six of seven to improve to 43-14.
