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.
Timberwolves top Mavericks
Well, not every game can be great.
After Victor Wembanyama put on a show, Luka Dončić strained his left calf in the second quarter and didn’t return as the Minnesota Timberwolves held on for a 105-99 victory.
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
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Knicks 117, Spurs 114
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Timberwolves 105, Mavericks 99
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76ers-Celtics, 5 p.m. ET: The champs are the champs.
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Lakers-Warriors, 8 p.m. ET: Let’s enjoy LeBron vs. Steph while we still can.
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Nuggets-Suns, 10:30 p.m. ET: Nikola Jokić is the best player on Earth, and Kevin Durant is still getting it done.
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