The NBA preseason wrapped up with eight games on Friday, with the regular season slated to begin in a few days.
The San Antonio Spurs finished with a perfect 5-0 record in the NBA preseason as the league wrapped up preparations for the regular season, with the Spurs beating the Indiana Pacers, 133-104, at the Frost Bank Center in Texas on Friday.
Victor Wembanyama poured a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead all scorers, raking in tremendous momentum ahead of the NBA tipoff next week.
Wembanyama was highly efficient, shooting 7-for-9. He also was a pest on defense, swatting four blocks to go along with one rebound and one steal.
The Spurs began optimistically as they took the 11-point lead at the end of the first quarter.
They complemented it with a strong finish, as they scored double than their opponents in the fourth quarter, 32-16, with the Spurs’ second unit making the most of their time on the court.
Stephon Castle led the supporting cast for Wemby with 16 markers, two rebounds, nine assists, and two steals.
Elsewhere, the Sacramento Kings soured a big performance from the Lakers’ Luka Doncic as they nipped their rivals, 117-116, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
An ill-advised foul on Isaac Jones sent the Sacramento Kings player to the foul line with one second left, leaving the door open to win the game in regulation.
Dalton Knecht had just tied the match at 116-all with nine ticks left in the previous possession.
Despite Jones splitting at the line, with only a second left for the Lakers, the Kings were able to escape with the last-second winner.
Dennis Schroder was the leading scorer for the Kings with 25 points, three boards, two assists, and one block.
Doncic had 31 points in the losing effort for the Lakers. He also had five rebounds, nine assists, one steal, and one block.
Other results in the day included a narrow win by the LA Clippers against the Golden State Warriors, 106-103.
Kobe Sanders was the top performer for the Clips with 25 points, five rebounds, and two assists.
The OKC Thunder, for their part, drubbed the Denver Nuggets, 94-91, to finish the preseason at 4-2.
Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies finally got on the winning column in the preseason with a 141-125 win over the hapless Miami Heat.
Jaylen Wells had 21 markers for the Grizzlies in the victory.
Brunson leads Knicks
Over in New York, Jalen Brunson dropped 31 points in an all-around game as the Knicks won over the Charlotte Hornets, 113-108.
Brunson made his mark everywhere, tallying seven rebounds, and six assists as well.
The Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors also nabbed last day wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Brooklyn Nets, respectively.
Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.