All the talk before the Christmas Day leadoff game was Victor Wembanyama taking Manhattan.
And the second-year sensation certainly delivered.
Wembanyama scored 42 points to come close to breaking the Christmas Day debut scoring record of 45 set by a rookie Wilt Chamberlain in 1959, but the Knicks persevered down the stretch to win 117-114 on Wednesday.
Mikal Bridges had his best game of the season, scoring 41 on 17-of-25 shooting with six 3s to power the Knicks, and Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 41 points.
Wembanyama added 18 rebounds, four assists and four blocks for San Antonio.
The Knicks, who were 9.5-point favorites at BetMGM, improved to 20-10, while San Antonio dropped to 15-15.
The Timberwolves were in control throughout, but took their foot off gas late as the Mavericks outscored them 31-15 in the fourth quarter.
Still, the Mavs came up short as Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle combined for 49 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists.
Kyrie Irving led Dallas with 39 points on 14-of-27 shooting (five 3s), and Dončić had 14 points, five rebounds and two assists when he departed.
Full results
Knicks 117, Spurs 114
Timberwolves 105, Mavericks 99
76ers-Celtics, 5 p.m. ET: The champs are the champs.
Lakers-Warriors, 8 p.m. ET: Let’s enjoy LeBron vs. Steph while we still can.
Nuggets-Suns, 10:30 p.m. ET: Nikola Jokić is the best player on Earth, and Kevin Durant is still getting it done.
Live69 updates
Sixers getting a real lift from Tyrese Maxey, who has been the heart of the offense early. 10 points, and four assists. Looks the like ankle twist pre-game hasn’t influenced Joel Embiid much either. 7/4 in eight minutes.
Philly looking surprisingly competent in this first quarter.
The Celtics open the game with a three-pointer, much to the surprise of everyone.
You can’t make this up. Joel Embiid, during pre-game warmups, stumbled and fell, tweaking his ankle.
Embiid is expected to play, but this is yet another unfortunate moment for the 7’2 center, who has struggled with odd injuries for a while now.
The Dallas Mavericks, on the heels of losing Luka Dončić and being down by 28 points, dug deep and found a way to not just get back into this one, but actually create a real chance to come away with a win.
Super, super impressive second-half effort by Dallas.
Kyrie Irving has been an absolute late-game monster. 37 points, and Dallas has cut Minnesota’s lead all the way down to five.
Alright, alright, alright, Mavs.
Dallas turned up the defense as Edwards was out, and climbed back to within nine points after having been down by a whopping 28.
I may have to retract my “dud” comment from earlier!
Mavs finally showing life. Now down 14. Kyrie Irving is lifting Dallas’ offense (30 points), and Anthony Edwards is at the scorer’s table, ready to check in.
Wolves lead the Mavericks 90-68 after three quarters. Anthony Edwards with a cool, calm, and collected 20/5/5 line with two steals and stellar defense all throughout.
Might not be a bad idea to call his night early, and let the reserves handle the rest of this one.
Mavs are hitting 39% as a team, and their defense is in shambles. One of those games where you burn the game tape afterwards.
We’re quickly approaching blow-out territory with the Wolves up 26.
This has been an unfortunate dud on the schedule, obviously not aided by the injury to Luka Dončić.
With Dončić out, Dallas will need to find offense elsewhere than just Kyrie Irving. Dereck Lively could be an interesting candidate to go to, simply to see what the second-year center has to offer in an enhanced role.
Luka Dončić has been ruled out for the rest of the game due to a calf strain.
The 25-year-old superstar’s night ends with 14 points, five rebounds, and two assists in 16 minutes.
Minnesota up at the half
Wolves are going to head into the halftime with a 57-40 lead on their hands. Encouraging game from them so far. Offense has been a rough watch this season, but things have flowed well.
Randle and Edwards have combined for 11 assists, and the Wolves are 10-21 from three.
Oh no. Luka Dončić is headed to the locker room, walking gingerly. He’s dealt with a heel contusion recently.
He couldn’t even run back on the defense. Bad news for the Mavericks, who are already down 13.
Anthony Edwards has been phenomenal in this first half.
13 points and four assists isn’t a box score stuffer, but he’s been excellent at choosing his spots, and has moved the ball at the right time.
We have a scuffle between Daniel Gafford and Rudy Gobert, both of whom failed to remember the real meaning of Christmas.
The Mavericks are making questionable decisions. Offense looking less than crisp, and their defense is slipping. Seven early turnovers, and they look discombobulated when rotating on the other end.
Donte DiVincenzo has come in and cashed three triples in nine minutes off Minnesota’s bench, which has itself cooking.
Dončić leading the way for Dallas with 14 points and 5 rebounds.
T’wolves lead after 1 quarter
Minnesota leads 26-24 after the first quarter with Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle each scoring 8 points. Luka Doncic has 11 and Kyrie Irving has 8 for Dallas
Strong start by the Wolves. Up 26-24 after the first quarter. Julius Randle took over creation duties in the final few minutes, and now sits on 8 points and 3 assists.
He and Edwards have been the heart of the offense.
On Dallas’ side, Dončić and Irving (19 points total) are leading the way. Not getting anything out of PJ Washington and Klay Thompson so far. Both have had moments of inconsistency this season.
Washington’s positioning is off on this switch once he takes a step towards Ant on the switch, he opens up the driving lane to Ant’s left. Needed to be more squared on Ant. What a great nice drive and finish. pic.twitter.com/qoXvk1QdBF
