Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) - The defending champion New York Knicks continued their awakening when they defeated the host Cleveland Cavaliers 109-97, while the runner-up San Antonio Spurs continued their successive victories and raised them to eight by defeating the host Portland Trail Blazers 125-103 on Saturday in the American Professional Basketball League.
Published on: 08/11/2026 - 09:45 Last updated: 08/11/2026 - 10:06
In the first match, in a rematch of last season's Eastern Conference final, the Knicks defeated their host Cavaliers thanks to their star Jaylen Brunson, who scored 31 points, including 18 in the second quarter, contributing to his team imposing control of the match in Cleveland, where the home team was coming off a remarkable victory over "King" LeBron James and his team, the Philadelphia 76ers, who are leaders in the Eastern Conference on Friday.
The best player in the league final added six rebounds and nine assists.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 29 points with 13 rebounds and two steals for the Knicks, who achieved their fifth victory in the last six games after starting the season with three consecutive defeats.
On the other hand, Donovan Mitchell scored 37 points for Cleveland, but the team was affected by the absence of key player Jarrett Allen, and was unable to keep up with Bronson when the latter imposed his control over the course of the game in the second quarter.
The Knicks' lead reached a maximum of 19 points. Although he succeeded in scoring only 42.7% of his field attempts, he compensated for that by scoring 26 points from second chances after collecting 16 offensive rebounds.
Cleveland suffered its fifth defeat this season, while the Knicks achieved its fifth victory.
In the second, the San Antonio Spurs continued their series of victories, achieving their eighth victory in a row thanks to a new, distinguished display by their French giant, Victor Wimpanyama, who scored 29 points in just 24 minutes, with a high shooting success rate (9 out of 13).
The Trail Blazers were not up to the challenge, as they suffered a deserved loss to the organized Spurs, who succeeded in scoring 28 out of 30 free throws.
Wimbanyama, 22 years old, also added seven rebounds and contributed to giving his team a comfortable lead at the end of the first half (64-49), before the difference widened at the end of the third quarter to 109-76.
With the difference exceeding 30 points, the French star spent the entire last 12 minutes on the bench, contenting himself with watching the match.
This convincing victory allowed the team from Texas to position itself at the top of the Western Conference with a winning rate of 80%, which is the same record held by the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
© 2026 AFP
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