despite the exclusion of Joel Embiid, Philadelphia dominates San Antonio

The anticipated duel between Joel Embiid for the 76ers and Victor Wembanyama for the Spurs was cut short when the Cameroonian was ruled out shortly before halftime, leaving teammate Tyrese Maxey to lead Philadelphia to victory at home with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 8 passes. “We're learning how to play without him…We've got to change our game, be a little quicker, be a little more aggressive and get the rebounds,” Maxey said of Embiid.

A first clash heated things up at the start of the second quarter when Wembanyama fell following contact with Andre Drummond. The latter was excluded for what was his second technical fault, before the video reversed the decision and allowed him to return to the floor by giving the fault to the Frenchman. A few minutes later, it was Embiid who fouled Wembanyama. He protested so vehemently that referee Jenna Schroeder sent him off. The player then lost his nerve, tearing off the protective mask he has been wearing since his nose operation, and expressing his anger with such intensity that it was necessary to physically prevent him from attacking the refereeing body.

Wembanyama finished with 26 points, 9 rebounds and 8 blocks, but it wasn't enough for the Spurs. Especially since the other Frenchman in the match, Guerschon Yabusele, had a great game for Philadelphia with 17 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals.

The Magic move

Despite a squad reduced by injuries, Orlando beat Boston (108-104) thanks to a great team performance (German Tristan da Silva finished top scorer with 18 points) notably against Jayle Brown and his 35 personal points . “This one is for Mo,” announced Johnathan Isaac in reference to his teammate Mo Wagner whose season ended Saturday with a major injury to his left knee.

Cleveland equals its record

Cleveland equaled its best start to the season with a 26th victory in 30 games, obtained at home against Utah (124-113). The Cavaliers secured a fifth victory in a row thanks in particular to Darius Garland (23 points), Donovan Mitchell (22 pts) and Evan Mobley (22 pts). A week before his 40th birthday, LeBron James scored his 120th triple double (28 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists), but he missed a winning basket on the siren which allowed Detroit to win on the Lakers floor (117-114).

Doncic and Jokic in verve

Serbian NBA stars were in high spirits: Luka Doncic scored 27 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a clear victory over Portland (132-108), while Nikola Jokic scored 32 points in the Denver Nuggets' clear victory against Phoenix (117-90). Oklahoma City won an eighth victory in a row by winning against Washington (123-105) with 41 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In the still absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo (back pain), and Damian Lillard (illness), the Milwaukee Bucks won in Chicago (112-91) with notably Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez who scored 21 points each.