Wembanyama denied

INDIANAPOLIS – Victor Wembanyama’s hopes of victory in the NBA All-Star week’s “Rising Stars” tournament came to an abrupt end as his team suffered an upset 41-36 defeat in the semifinals.

The San Antonio Spurs rookie 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 – tore up the script with a deserved win in the first-to-40 semifinal.

In the final, however, the underdogs were beaten 26-13 by a team coached by Jalen Rose.