Wembanyama upset in NBA ‘Rising Stars’ clash
Lue fined $35,000 over ref ‘cheating’ outburst
LOS ANGELES: Victor Wembanyama’s hopes of victory in the NBA All-Star week’s ‘Rising Stars’ tournament came to an abrupt end on Friday as his team suffered an upset 41-36 defeat in the semi-finals. San Antonio Spurs rookie Wembanyama spearheaded a strong-looking line-up coached by Spanish legend Pau Gasol that many tipped to cruise into Friday’s final. But their opponents - coached by Germany’s three-time NBA All-Star Detlef Schrempf and drawn from the NBA’s G-League development league - tore up the script with a deserved win in the first-to-40 semi-final.
Mac McClung led the scoring with 12 points for the underdogs while Alondes Williams finished with 11 points. France’s Wembanyama meanwhile caught the eye with 11 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal, but it was not enough to carry “Team Pau” to victory. Wembanyama, the No.1 pick in last year’s draft who has been billed as a once-in-a-generation talent comparable to LeBron James, was part of a strong line-up that also included in-form Golden State player Brandin Podziemski and No.2 draft pick Brandon Miller of the Charlotte Hornets.
However Schrempf’s line-up were soon in control, opening up a 10-point lead at 23-13 before closing out the win. The underdogs found the going harder in Friday’s final however, being beaten 26-13 by a team coached by Jalen Rose in the final. The Rising Stars tournament is the highlight of the opening day of AllStar weekend, followed by the skills competition on Saturday and Sunday’s NBA All-Star game.
‘Cheating’ outburst
In another development, Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue has been fined $35,000 after accusing referees of “cheating” following his team’s win over the Golden State Warriors, the NBA said Friday. League official Joe Dumars said in a statement Lue had been fined for “public criticism of the officiating” and “questioning the integrity” of game officials in Wednesday’s 130-125 victory over the Warriors in San Francisco. Lue was ejected in the fourth quarter of a chaotic game at the Chase Center, with the Clippers roaring back from nine points down to claim victory.
Afterwards, footage posted across social media showed a fired-up Lue shouting in the corridor near the Clippers locker room. “Where the refs at now?
Cheating. That’s all they be doing,” Lue was heard to say. Lue also appeared to be hunting for James Williams, one of the three officials refereeing the game. “Where James at? The referee. I want to kick him in the mouth,” Lue said. The Clippers have been on a hot streak recently, winning seven of their last 10 games to move up to third spot in the Western Conference with 36 wins and 17 defeats. The Clippers are two games back from leaders Minnesota heading into the NBA’s All-Star break.—