Vembanyama breaks his career scoring record with 50 points in 32 minutes against Wizards | Basketball | Sport

Frenchman Victor Vembanyama continues to make people talk in the NBA. Thanks to his performance on Tuesday, he finished his first 82 games (the equivalent of the entire regular season) with numbers that put him among the NBA’s elite rookies. Joining the group were Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Blake Griffin and Sydney Weeks, the rest of whom were so versatile in league history that they recorded 1,700 points, 800 rebounds and 300 assists in their first 82 games. And to celebrate, he broke his NBA scoring record this Thursday against the Washington Wizards. He scored 50 points despite playing only 32 minutes.

Wembanyama, last season’s Rookie of the Year, is the fourth youngest player to score 50 points in the NBA, trailing only Brandon Jennings, LeBron James and Devin Booker. It’s meant to mark an era in the American professional basketball league, although the team isn’t doing very well with it at the moment. Wembanyama’s previous high was 49 points in a 130-126 overtime win over the New York Knicks last March. This time he scored 50 points with almost nine minutes left in the game.

The center’s performance gave the Spurs a 139-130 victory over a weak Washington team on Thursday. In addition to his 50 points, Vembanyama added six rebounds, three blocks, two assists and a steal. He had a 50% success rate on 16 three-point attempts, which is on par with elite shooters. He also made 10 of his 13 2-pointers on those eight triples on a day when he had no opponent at the rim.

Since his first season in the NBA, the Frenchman has gained muscle, which combined with his enormous height makes him virtually unstoppable around the rim. His size makes him a natural shot stopper, and he’s been more successful around the basket this year.

The Frenchman leads his team in four of the five key indicators so far this season. He is the leading scorer with 22.3 points per game; best rebounder with a score of 10.2; the one who scores the most blocks – 3.8 per game, and the one who steals the most balls – 1.3. His field goal percentage is 47.1%, including 34.3% on three-pointers.

The Spurs are still one of the weakest teams in the Western Conference, but they no longer count games as losses like they did during their worst stretch of last season. They have six wins and six losses in 12 games. They will have to fight hard to make the playoffs, but at least they can dream about it.

The Cavaliers are already 13-0.

Despite his record, Vembanyama’s score on Thursday was not the best. Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo had a spectacular game against the Detroit Pistons, in which he scored 59 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists, in his case in 44 minutes, including overtime. The Milwaukee Bucks player has put the team on his back in an attempt to give them some breathing room in the crisis he’s going through. They won only four of their first eight games. Antetokounmpo is the league’s second-leading scorer, averaging 30.7 points per game.

Meanwhile, the season opener Cleveland Cavaliers beat the 76ers 106-114 in Philadelphia. This saw them win their first 13 games of the season and become the sixth team with the best start in the league’s history, including its ABA predecessor. The Golden State Warriors’ record of 24 wins in the 2015-2016 season seems far away, but the second-best record was 15 wins.

To match that, they’ll be beaten at home by the Bulls this Friday and by the Hornets on Sunday, two very accessible opponents for a team led by Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell. Their 16th game of the season looks tougher: the champion Celtics at TD Garden. The Bostonians will also be fighting for survival in the NBA Cup after an unexpected loss in the first game of the group stage against the Atlanta Hawks.