CHICAGO (AP) – Victor Wembanyama got to take slap shots and trade signed jerseys with the Chicago Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard, a memorable meeting between the number one draft picks in the NBA and NHL on Thursday.

As for the rest of the night? Wembanyama would probably just as soon forget that.

Coby White scored 22 points and the Chicago Bulls beat San Antonio 114-95 on Thursday night for the Spurs’ 21st loss in 22 games.

Wembanyama finished with a season-low seven points and five rebounds after setting an NBA record for a teenager with eight straight double-doubles.

The seven-foot-three French phenom did not score in the first half and made just three of eight shots in the game while playing 22 minutes, after missing a blowout loss on Tuesday night at Milwaukee because of a sore right ankle.

“My ankle is fine, I don’t feel it at all,” he said. “There are some games like that.”

But getting to meet Bedard was something different.

“That was great,” Wembanyama said. “A great experience. It’s not often at all, even almost never, that I get to meet people so great and that have also so many similarities with myself. It was a great experience.”

White had 12 points in the fourth quarter to help the Bulls break open the game.

DeMar DeRozan finished with 21 points after scoring 27 the previous night in a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Patrick Williams added 18, and Nikola Vucevic had 16 to help the Bulls win for the eighth time in 11 games – all with Zach LaVine sidelined because of inflammation in his right foot.

“We never gave up, we never let the life flow out of us or anything like that,” White said. “The guys in this locker room continuously believe in each other. We continuously speak positive energy into each other, and we care about each other and we want to win. That hasn’t changed throughout the entire season.”

Devin Vassell led San Antonio with 21 points. But the Spurs lost their third in a row since stopping a franchise-record 18-game losing streak by beating the Los Angeles Lakers last week.

The Bulls made just seven of 28 three-pointers, but they found the touch in the fourth, burying 5 of 6. White hit two in the quarter, including one that made it 90-75 with just under nine minutes remaining and capped a 15-5 run.

The Bulls led 75-70 before DeRozan started that spurt with a floater in the closing seconds of the third. Jevon Carter and Patrick Williams hit back-to-back three-pointers to start the fourth, and the Bulls remained in control after White’s shot made it a 15-point game. LaVine has been running straight ahead and shooting without jumping and will start ramping up activities more next week.

Coach Billy Donovan said he is “projecting in a positive way” and the Bulls will have a better handle on a potential return once they see how he responds to making sudden stops and cuts and starts jumping. Donovan said LaVine will have to get some practices in, though the team hasn’t discussed if he will spend time with the G League’s Windy City Bulls.

Meanwhile, veteran forward Torrey Craig said he expects to return sooner from his right foot injury than the minimum two-month time-frame the team announced.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Anthony Edwards had 27 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves past Los Angeles 118-111 on Thursday and hand the Lakers – with LeBron James sitting out on the second night of back-to-back games – their fourth straight loss.

The Wolves – also playing for a second straight night – tied Boston at 21-6 for the NBA ‘s best record.

“All credit to the guys for getting the win on a back-to-back. I know there might not have been a full tank for everyone, but that’s one of those games where if it goes three more minutes, we may lose it,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points for Minnesota before limping to the locker room for further examination on a lower-leg injury – Finch said Towns took a “bang” but had no update on his condition – with 5:07 left.

By then, the Wolves were awake after a sleepy third quarter.

Mike Conley finished with 16 points, eight assists and two of the team’s 13 steals and Rudy Gobert had 15 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks as the Wolves avoided consecutive losses for the first time this season and improved to 12-1 at home.

“We just use our depth and our size,” Conley said. “That can be overwhelming for certain teams at certain times, and it allows us to just be unpredictable every night.”

Anthony Davis had 31 points and eight rebounds, and Rui Hachimura – in the starting lineup with James out to rest tendinitis in his ankle – scored 18 points as the Lakers fell to 1-5 since winning the NBA In-Season Tournament.

They’re 15-14 overall and 5-11 on the road.

“We’ll break through this thing, once we get guys back healthy, get guys back in rhythm,” coach Darvin Ham said. “We’ll be okay.”

The Lakers have been in a mini-slump over the last 12 days, whether or not the lag was related to the investment of energy into winning the league’s inaugural sideshow in Las Vegas.

While James watched from the bench in a stocking hat and hooded sweatshirt, Davis powered through an ankle injury against one of the league’s best groups of big men with Gobert, Towns and backup Naz Reid.

“It was a battle from start to finish and he showed why he is who he is, even in a loss,” Ham said. “He’s a pleasure to coach, man.”

PORTLAND (AP) – Kyle Kuzma scored 32 points and the Washington Wizards held off the Portland Trail Blazers 118-117 on Thursday night for their fifth victory of the season.

Tyus Jones added 16 points, Daniel Gafford had 14 points and eight rebounds and Jordan Poole and Deni Advija each had 11 points. Washington is 5-22.

“We showed a little bit of mental and physical fortitude to make enough plays to win the game,” Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “It’s great to come away from a win, regardless of how you get it.”

Anfernee Simons scored 22 of his 41 points for Portland in the fourth quarter. Deandre Ayton had 23 points and 10 rebounds and Jerami Grant added 20 points. Grant missed a driving layup at the buzzer, dropping the Trail Blazers to 7-20.

Washington opened with an 8-0 run, with Portland turning it over three times in the first 1:30.

Things didn’t get much cleaner from there for the Trail Blazers, who had 15 turnovers that led to 21 Washington points.

“The first half, we came out terrible,” Portland coach Chauncey Billups said. “We talked about it all day, we tried to prepare the guys for it, knowing the pace they play is difficult. They get up and down and run.” The Wizards led by 18 in the second half before Portland rallied behind Simons to tie it. Washington regained the lead again and Portland, after a successful challenge overturning a foul on Matisse Thybulle, had the ball with 5.8 seconds remaining trailing by one. Grant then missed his driving layup at the buzzer.

LONDON (AFP) – Mikel Arteta has challenged Arsenal to win in the Premier League at Anfield for the first time in 11 years, saying they can learn from last year’s bitter disappointment of throwing away a 2-0 lead.

The Gunners head to Liverpool tonight knowing victory would leave them top of the table.

But the visitors would have to end a run of league results stretching back to September 2012 if they are to achieve that – winning 2-0 when Arteta was in the Arsenal midfield. The Spaniard toasted four years as Arsenal manager this week and during that time he has overseen wins at Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham, while this season they beat Manchester City at the Emirates.

“We have done it at Old Trafford, we have done it at Stamford Bridge and many other places where we haven’t done it for years,” he said yesterday

“This is the next challenge – go there and win. If you want to be at the top you have to go to those places and be dominant. That’s what we’re going to try to do.”

Arsenal took a 2-0 lead at Anfield last year before they were pinned back and had to settle for a draw.

It was the start of a damaging spell of four games without a win that cost the Gunners vital points in their chase for a first Premier League title since 2004 and they were eventually overhauled by Manchester City. “It’s going to be a great atmosphere,” said Arteta.

“The two teams are in a really good moment, really good position, really strong position.

They are going to be well placed to win it and to go for it. It’s going to be an intense match.”

MADRID (AP) – With a late goal after a lackluster performance, Real Madrid found its way to victory and to the top of the Spanish league standings.

Lucas Vázquez scored with a header in stoppage-time and Madrid pulled off a 1-0 win on the road against Alaves to reclaim first place after Girona conceded a late equaliser in its 1-1 draw at Real Betis earlier on Thursday.

Madrid and Girona are tied on 45 points but Madrid was ahead on a tiebreaker. Defending champion Barcelona was third, seven points off the lead. The Catalan club edged last-place Almeria 3-2 at home on Wednesday.

Madrid got the late win despite playing with 10 men from the 54th minute after central defender Nacho Fernández was sent off with a straight red card for a hard foul.

“It was a complicated match, and with a player down everybody thought that maybe today we were going to lose,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “But this team finds energy out of nowhere. We held tough and in the end we got rewarded.”

Vázquez was left free inside the area to score the winner with a header after a well-placed corner-kick cross by Toni Kroos.

Alaves coach Luis García was livid by the bench after the goal, kicking objects, throwing his jacket, screaming and even grabbing a staff member by the jacket and shoving him back to his seat.

“We can’t let Lucas finish by himself like that,” he said afterward. “You can’t let the game slip away from you like that, against 10 men, in the final minutes.”

Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo, the leaders of Madrid’s attack this season, were kept in check during most of the match in a poor performance by Ancelotti’s team at Mendizorroza Stadium. Neither team was able to create many significant scoring chances.

Nacho was initially shown a yellow card after stepping on an opponent while going for the ball, but video review called the referee and it was determined the Madrid defender deserved a straight red card.

After Nacho was sent off, Ancelotti was forced to replace Luka Modric with midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni, who went into Nacho’s position in the middle of the defence.

Madrid has been playing with a squad depleted by injuries, especially in defence. Last Sunday, David Alaba became the third Madrid player to tear an anterior cruciate knee ligament. Éder Militão and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois also sustained the same type of injury.

Antonio Rüdiger started alongside Nacho in defence on Thursday. Forward Rodrygo had to be helped off the field with another apparent injury in stoppage time, though Ancelotti later said the Brazil forward was just tired.

Madrid has conceded only 11 goals so far this season, the best mark among all Spanish league clubs. It is unbeaten in its last 17 games in all competitions.

It was the third loss in a row for Alaves, which is sitting in 16th place, three points clear from the relegation zone. Madrid’s next league game is at home against Mallorca on January 3. Alaves visits Real Sociedad on January 2.

GIRONA’S SETBACK

Girona opened the scoring with a penalty kick converted by Artem Dovbyk in the 39th, but the hosts equalised with Germán Pezzella in the 88th after a loose ball inside the area.

It was only the second time Girona failed to win in its last 12 matches in all competitions. It had won eight of its last nine league matches, including 4-2 at Barcelona two rounds ago. A 3-0 loss to Madrid at home in September is the team’s lone defeat so far this season.

It faced another tough test against a Betis team that is fighting for European places and is yet to lose at home in the league.

“This goal in the end is very upsetting, we thought we had it won,” Girona captain Aleix García said. “But we have to value this point, they pressure a lot here. We have to maintain this dynamic and recharge our batteries for what’s ahead.”

Girona’s next league match is another difficult one, against fourth-place Atletico Madrid at home .

SOCIEDAD HELD

Sixth-place Sociedad couldn’t manage more than a 0-0 draw at relegation-threatened Cadiz.

The hosts sit in 17th place, just outside the demotion zone, and haven’t won in 16 consecutive matches in all competitions.

MALLORCA RALLIES

Mallorca came from behind to defeat Osasuna 3-1 at home.

It was the second win in the last three league matches for Mallorca, which moved to 14th place.

Osasuna, sitting in 13th place, has won only one of its last eight league games – 1-0 against Rayo Vallecano in the previous round.

TAROUBA (AP) – The West Indies held its nerve in the last over to beat world champion England and win their Twenty20 series 3-2 on Thursday.

England, defending a measly 132 all out, bowled brilliantly at the death to raise the tension and earn a glimmer of hope at Brian Lara Stadium.

Fast bowler Reece Topley took out West Indies captain Rovman Powell in a two-run 17th over, and medium-pacer Sam Curran nabbed Andre Russell in a two-run 19th over.

The West Indies was still favored going into the last over, but needed nine runs.

Jason Holder scored three runs off the first delivery by Chris Woakes with Rehan Ahmed saving a run on the boundary behind square, then Shai Hope smacked his first six over deep point to finish the match. West Indies made 133-6 and won by four wickets with four balls to spare.

The home side also won the one-day international series 2-1.

Hope led the West Indies chase with a run-a-ball 43 not out.

But it was wobbling after eight overs when they were 54-3.

Sherfane Rutherford joined Hope in the middle and overtook the latter with his first six back over Adil Rashid’s head to reach 20.

Rutherford smacked Curran over the fence at fine leg then was caught by Curran on 30 to give Rashid 2-21 off his four overs.

The West Indies was left needing 34 from 30 deliveries, and Ahmed conceded 11 runs in the next over to relieve the pressure. But it came straight back on when Topley dismissed Powell to finish his four overs with 2-17.

England fought well after a batting performance that was a shadow of what it produced in the series-levelling win on Tuesday on the same ground.

England was all out for less than half of its record score of 267-3 on Tuesday. After smashing 19 sixes then, England hit only five on the sticky, used pitch.

Opener Phil Salt top-scored for England again in an unchanged team but an inspired West Indies side bowled and fielded with accuracy and energy.

England captain Jos Buttler was gone for 11 in the fourth over, scooping Holder to Oshane Thomas at short fine leg.