Victor Wembanyama totalled 40 points and 12 rebounds in just 26 minutes, and the San Antonio Spurs routed the Los Angeles Lakers 136-108 on Tuesday night as LeBron James sat out due to left foot arthritis, making him ineligible for end-of-season awards.

The Lakers announced James’ status about five hours before tip-off, with his absence making him mathematically ineligible to be included in any of the three All-NBA teams after the season, ending his streak of 21 consecutive seasons receiving All-NBA honours.

By league rules, players are required to play at least 65 games to be eligible for end-of-season awards, and James has now missed 18 games.

James opened his unprecedented 23rd NBA season by missing training camp and the first 14 games due to symptoms of sciatica.

James has played games on back-to-back nights at times this season but played 36 minutes in Monday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

With Luka Dončić (left hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (left calf injury management) also sitting, Tuesday’s contest against the Spurs was a landslide.

Wembanyama had 37 points by half-time, and San Antonio led 84-55 at the break. Wembanyama’s 3-pointer with 4:34 remaining in the third quarter got him to the 40-point milestone and gave the Spurs a 100-68 lead. He sat the rest of the way.

The win was the Spurs’ fifth in a row as they improved to 37-16 and held their ground in second place in the Western Conference.

With the loss, the Lakers hold just a half-game lead over the seventh-place Phoenix Suns as both teams try to avoid the play-in tournament in the competitive West.

Bronny James had 12 points and tied a career high with six assists for the short-handed Lakers.

 

Pacers hold off Knicks in OT to halt skid

Pascal Siakam scored 30 points, Andrew Nembhard added 24 points and 10 assists,  and the Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks 137-134 in overtime on Tuesday night to snap a four-game losing streak.

New York forced overtime with a pair of free throws from Karl-Anthony Towns with 0.2 remaining in regulation. Indiana then scored the first nine points of the overtime period and held on as the Knicks scored eight points in the game’s final 20 seconds.

All five Indiana starters scored in double figures. The Pacers' bench outscored New York’s 43-18, with T.J. McConnell, Ben Sheppard and Kobe Brown combining to shoot 13 of 18 from the field.

Jalen Brunson was terrific as the engine of the Knicks’ offence, finishing with 40 points and eight assists with only one turnover.

Josh Hart had 15 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his second triple-double of the season for the Knicks. Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out with 2:14 left in overtime.

The Knicks (34-20) have lost two of their last three after an eight-game winning streak, and Tuesday’s loss ended their five-game winning streak at Madison Square Garden.

New York will travel on short rest to play the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, as they kick off a tough stretch of schedule after All-Star weekend that includes the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers before setting off on a West-coast road trip.

 

Durant paces Rockets over Clippers

Kevin Durant scored 26 points, Jabari Smith Jr. had a double-double, and the Houston Rockets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 102-95.

Houston led by six points after the third quarter but went on a 7-0 run in the first 79 seconds of the fourth to extend its lead to 85-72 and never looked back.

Smith finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Alperen Şengün added 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Reed Sheppard made four 3-pointers to finish with 16 points off the bench.

Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 24 points, but John Collins was the only other Los Angeles player to score in double figures, adding 17 points, after the team underwent major roster turnover at the trade deadline.

Bennedict Mathurin had nine points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench in his Clippers debut after being part of the return for Ivica Zubac's trade to Indiana. Darius Garland, acquired in the trade that sent James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers, remains out with a toe issue.