Wembanyama and Antetokounmpo bring glitz and points galore in NBA opener

Victor Wembanyama, with 40 points, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, with 37, as both showed their pedigree in Wednesday’s NBA season opener, where Jalen Brunson pounded the Cleveland Cavaliers and Joel Embiid returned to action.

Here are the four scenes that marked the second day of regular-season action in North America's powerhouse basketball league:

40 points for Wemby

In his first official game in eight months, French phenom Victor Wembanyama staged a spectacular comeback with 40 points and 15 rebounds in San Antonio's 125-92 win over Dallas.

The 21-year-old Frenchman opened his third NBA season in strong form after missing time since being diagnosed with a venous thrombosis in February.

His 40 points set a new mark for the Spurs in an opener since the 39 scored by George Gervin in 1977.

To his already unique height and agility, the Frenchman seems to have added over the summer a dose of power that allows him to get closer to the basket for increasingly spectacular jump shots or dunks.

Wemby got off on the right foot in his mission to help the Spurs return to the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

Antetokounmpo doesn't miss a beat

Giannis Antetokounmpo, the 30-year-old Greek phenom, continues to be a guarantee of success for the Milwaukee Bucks. This time he did it by commanding a 133-120 victory over the Washington Wizards.

Antetokounmpo, who is coming off a third-place finish at EuroBasket with the Greek national team, completed a double-double of 37 points and 14 rebounds.

Milwaukee built a lead of as many as 22 points thanks to a 12-point run.

Brunson pummels Cavs

The Knicks and Cavaliers began the season with the tag of contenders for the Eastern Conference crown after injuries to Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton dented the chances of the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers.

The New York Islanders prevailed 119-111 by dominating the paint with 42 points over Cleveland's 30. Also by pocketing the rebounding battle (58-50).

Their main figure, Jalen Brunson, 29, had a modest night from the three-point line (1/9), but showed up at the right time to define the game with an aggressive game that took him to the free-throw line 13 times (12/13).

Mike Brown, who took the reins of the Knicks in July after the firing of Tom Thibodeau, aims to break a 52-year streak for the New York squad without winning an NBA title.

76ers triumph in Embiid's comeback

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics 117-116 in Joel Embiid's return to the court after his knee injury in February, which allowed him to see action in just 19 games last season.

The 31-year-old center played 20 minutes, connecting on one of his nine attempts from the field.

The Paris 2024 Olympic champion, the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2023 and a seven-time All-Star finished with a team-high four points and six rebounds.