Wembanyama records NBA's fastest double-double and Gilgeous-Alexander rescues Thunder

Two of the leading MVP contenders, Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA), shone Monday by scoring 41 and 47 points, respectively, to lead the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder to victory, with Oklahoma prevailing in a thrilling showdown between conference leaders against the Detroit Pistons.

Victor Wembanyama once again stole the spotlight in the NBA with an exceptional performance in the Spurs' 129-114 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

The French center set a new season-high with 41 points and rounded out his stat line with three 3-pointers, 16 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Wemby also delivered a historic start to the game, posting 10 points and 10 rebounds in just 8 minutes and 31 seconds, thus establishing the fastest double-double in the NBA.

Five other Spurs players reached double digits in scoring against the Bulls, a team with no playoff options, in a performance that did not convince their star. "Today wasn't perfect as a team or personally," Wembanyama said. "I wish I would have been better, but it's still satisfying."

With his unmatched impact on both sides of the court, the French unicorn climbed last week to the top spot in predictions of the MVP (Most Valuable Player) award winner. Should he win the award, Wembanyama would be the youngest MVP in history at 22 years old.

On the back of their star, the Spurs continue to stalk the Western Conference lead, which is still in the hands of the unbeatable SGA Thunder.

- Thunder survive Pistons -

Oklahoma City maintained its 2.5-win gap over San Antonio by beating the East-leading Pistons 114-110 in overtime. Detroit offered another exhibition of pride by standing up to the reigning NBA champions without most of its star players.

The five leading scorers of the season, including All-Stars Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, did not take the court in Oklahoma City, but it still took an unforeseen effort for the home team to pull out the victory.

Gilgeous-Alexander had to come to the rescue with 47 points, 21 of them between the final quarter and overtime, while Detroit's scoring was more spread out, with the 21 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks of Paul Reed, Duren's replacement, standing out.

A majestic three-pointer by SGA with four seconds left could have prevented overtime but was disallowed by the referees for an offensive foul by the Canadian.

"We have a never-say-die mentality," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Being seven points down with three minutes to play is nothing for us. We knew that, if we could defend, we were going to give ourselves a chance."

- Another LeBron triple double -.

In Los Angeles, the Lakers did not suffer from Luka Doncic's suspension and disposed of the Washington Wizards, the worst team of the season, 118-93. Doncic, the NBA's scoring leader with 33.7 points on average, served his suspension game for reaching the 16-technical foul limit for the campaign.

In the Slovenian's absence, LeBron James took the reins for the Lakers with his third triple double of the season. King James, already the oldest player to post a triple double at 41, finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.