Nba Spurs Rally Past Knicks After Wembanyama Injury Scare

San Antonio edged New York 134-132, Oklahoma City dominated Portland 124-95, and Cleveland overpowered Phoenix 129-113 in a busy NBA night, with Victor Wembanyama suffering an injury scare, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander staying in MVP form, and Donovan Mitchell leading a strong Cavaliers response.

Oklahoma City delivered one of the clearest results, as the defending NBA champions controlled Portland 124-95 and extended their current win streak to three. Cleveland also built on recent momentum, using a decisive second-half surge to halt the Phoenix Suns’ four-game winning run and move back above .500.

San Antonio’s tight win over New York came in the teams’ first clash since the Knicks’ 124-113 triumph in the NBA Cup final on December 16, with the Spurs

overturning that defeat by closing Wednesday’s contest on a late surge despite Wembanyama’s brief absence.

Wembanyama appeared to hurt the left leg while landing after a rebound attempt with just under 11 minutes left, then hobbled to the locker room. The 7-foot-4 centre had already posted 31 points and 13 rebounds in 24 minutes, with San Antonio trailing by six when the injury occurred.

The Spurs, now 24-9, responded without the star rookie by outscoring New York by 13 points across the final eight minutes, turning the deficit into a 134-132 victory. Wembanyama returned to the bench with 1:22 remaining and did not appear to be limping as San Antonio avoided a third straight defeat.

Julian Champagnie produced a career-best display for San Antonio, leading all scorers with 36 points and setting a franchise record with 11 three-pointers, while DeAaron Fox contributed 26 points and seven assists. New York, now 23-10, saw a three-game winning streak end despite Jalen Brunson scoring 29 and three other Knicks reaching at least 20 points.

AND THAT'S HOW YOU END 2025 pic.twitter.com/IRNflAChzkSan Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 1, 2026

The Thunder’s 124-95 home win over the Trail Blazers continued a recovery from their first wobble of the campaign, keeping Oklahoma City’s record at 29-5 while preventing Portland, now 14-20, from matching their best winning streak of the season with a third straight victory.

Oklahoma City had started the 2025-26 season with eight consecutive wins before Portland handed the first loss on November 5. The Thunder then replied with 16 straight victories but later lost four of six games, a run sparked by defeat to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Cup semi-finals.

Against Portland, reigning league MVP and NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander again set the tone, finishing with 30 points, six assists and four steals in just 29 minutes before resting the entire fourth quarter, while Sidy Cissoko led the Trail Blazers with 19 points in the heavy defeat.

Rolling into the New Year together pic.twitter.com/5oF1oALGygOKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 1, 2026

NBA Cavaliers halt Suns streak with dominant run

Cleveland’s 129-113 success over Phoenix hinged on a decisive stretch spanning the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth, as the Cavaliers produced a 24-5 burst to secure a second consecutive win following a difficult spell of 10 defeats in 15 games.

The Cavaliers, now 19-16, had led by 13 at half-time, but the Suns cut the margin to 91-89 in the final minute of the third period. Phoenix, whose record dropped to 19-14, missed the chance to record a second five-game winning streak this season despite 32 points from Devin Booker.

Mitchell was central to Cleveland’s response, collecting 34 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals, while Darius Garland added 19 points and six assists. Jaylon Tyson scored 18, Sam Merrill contributed 16, and both Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley finished with 16 points and double-digit rebounds.

CAVS WIN! #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/WmBVTL5UjnCleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) December 31, 2025

The night’s results kept Oklahoma City near the top of the league standings, steadied Cleveland after a rough patch, and allowed San Antonio to respond to the NBA Cup loss against New York, while injury concerns around Victor Wembanyama eased as the Spurs’ star returned to the bench late on.