A pair of behemoths battling it out once again as the headlining candidates in the NBA's Rookie of the Year race highlights today's edition of The Morning Dunk, featuring the best in news, highlights, and betting odds from across the Association.
Wembanyama, Holmgren Duel Delivers as Spurs Pull Off Upset
There's a degree of separation occurring for the Eddie Gottlieb trophy, with Thursday's matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder perhaps increasing that even further.
Spurs Frenchman Victor Wembanyama finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, five blocks, and shot 5-of-7 from 3-point range in a 132-118 victory over the visiting Thunder at the Frost Bank Center. Wembanyama becomes the first player to ever record a line of at least 25 points, 10 boards, five dimes, five rejections, and five made shots from behind the arc.
Victor Wembanyama becomes the first player in NBA history to record 25+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists, 5+ blocks, and 5+ 3PM in a game 📈
— NBA (@NBA) March 1, 2024
🔥 28 PTS
🔥 13 REB
🔥 7 AST
🔥 5 BLK
🔥 5 3PM
🔥 W pic.twitter.com/xNKwwOpNmS
Holmgren had 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists for a Thunder squad who entered Thursday as the 10.5-point favorites set by oddsmakers. It was the first time in seven games that Oklahoma City had failed to cover the spread.
Wembanyama is now the heavy favorite to take home Rookie of the Year honors at -1350, with Holmgren now a distant second at +1000.
Lakers Outlast Washington In OT
Just one day after overcoming a 21-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers needed to muster up some extra energy to simply put away the worst team in basketball.
Led by Anthony Davis' double-double of 40 points and 15 rebounds, along with LeBron James' 31 points (now nine points away from 40,000 for his career), the Lakers withstood the efforts of a game Washington Wizards to emerge with a narrow 134-131 victory in overtime at Crypto.com Arena.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis were a dynamic duo in the Lakers' OT win over the Wizards!
— NBA (@NBA) March 1, 2024
AD: 40 PTS, 15 REB, 3 BLK
LBJ: 31 PTS, 9 AST, 4 REB pic.twitter.com/zReP1UU584
With the margin of victory being just three points, Los Angeles failed to cover as the 10.5-point favorites and now fall to 5-13 in its last 18 games ATS when being the favorite.
NBA Finals Rematch Ends The Same
Some things never change, which is unfortunate if you're a Miami Heat supporter.
Playing at the Ball Arena on Thursday, Miami failed to extend its winning streak to six games after losing to the Denver Nuggets 103-97 in a rematch of the 2023 Finals.
Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. led all scorers with 30 points on 12-of-23 shooting from the field, while two-time Most Valuable Player winner and reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic contributed a double-double of 18 points and 11 boards.
The Nuggets are 11-1 over their last 12 games against the Heat (including playoffs) pic.twitter.com/VXBREWuUdu
— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 1, 2024
The Heat drop to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 33-26 record SU, as just half a game separates them and the three teams ahead of them in the standings.
