Victor Wembanyama comes out on top against LeBron James, Detroit Pistons suffer record 22nd straight defeat

Victor Wembanyama came out on top in his showdown against LeBron James as the San Antonio Spurs overcame the Los Angeles Lakers 129-115.

Wembanyama scored 13 points and 15 rebounds, while Vassell added a career-best 36-point haul to haul the franchise's longest-ever run of 18 defeats in a row.

It was a respectable return to action for James, who scored 23 points and 10 rebounds after recovering from a calf injury, but Anthony Davis sat out the clash with a hip problem.

“Feels like a playoff game for me. We love this feeling.” said Wembanyama in quotes published by nba.com.

There was sheer relief among the Spurs players, who had not won a game since defeating Phoenix back on November 2.

“It didn’t feel like a normal win,” said Devin Vassell.

“You seen people jumping around on the side. I’m trying to stay composed. It’s special. This is a special group, and at the end of the day, I don’t think we would have sat here and been like, ‘We’re going to lose 17, 18 in a row at the start of the season.’”

James may have been on the losing side, but did come out in his personal duel with young Frenchman Wembanyama after managing to get past him with a three-pointer.

“Just tried to get his hands to go down just a little bit because I know his wingspan,” James explained.

“I know he’s able to block shots outside his comfort zone. I just tried to create a little bit more room, shoot a little bit higher and I was able to knock it down.”

The Lakers are back in action against the New York Knicks on Monday, while the Spurs face the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.

Meanwhile, it was another chastening evening for the Detroit Pistons after they succumbed to a franchise record 22nd successive defeat in a 124-92 defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers.

This loss surpassed the dismal run spread across the 1979-80 and 1980-81 campaigns, in what is the sixth-longest single-season run of defeats in NBA history.

The 2010-11 and 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers both hold the single-season record with 26 losses in a row, while the Pennsylvania outfit also has the overall record of 28 defeats cross the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.

Joel Embiid was the star of the show for Philadelphia after managing 35 points, while Tyrese Maxey claimed a further 19 in what was a fifth consecutive victory for the 76ers.

Embiid also broke Wilt Chamberlain's franchise record for the most consecutive games scoring at least 30 points and 10 rebounds, which the latter managed in the 1964-65 season.

“It’s great to be in that class,” said Embiid in quotes published by nba.com.

“I just want to dominate every single night.”

James Wiseman led the Pistons' effort after amassing 20 points, while Bojnan Bogdanovic added another 17.

Detroit will hope to end this miserable run of results at Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night, while Philadelphia face Charlotte Hornets on the same day.

Elsewhere, the Boston Celtics overcame the Orlando Magic with a 128-111 victory.

This was despite missing three of top stars in Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet.

Jayson Tatum amassed 30 points, while Payton Pritchard claimed a further 21 to continue their unbeaten home record.

Jake Suggs added 19 points for Orlando, while Goga Bitadze took a further 15 and 11 rebounds for Magic, but it was not enough for the Floridians to extend their four-match winning streak against the New England side.

Jaylen Brown believes this win was their most impressive result of the season so far, in quotes published by nba.com.

“We had a bunch of guys out on a back-to-back against a team that had been kicking our ass the last four times that we played. So I think this was the biggest game so far.”

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media