Monday's five best NBA performances: Victor Wembanyama's 40 points in 25 minutes tops the list

Monday had eight NBA games, and the best individual nights came from two big men, a teenager and a guard coming back from a sore back. Here are the five that stood out, checked against the box scores and the league's own posts.

1. Victor Wembanyama: 40 points, 11 rebounds, nine blocks, 25 minutes

The Spurs won 122-96 at Phoenix for their ninth straight win, and Wembanyama did not need the fourth quarter. He shot 15 of 19. ESPN reported he is the second player since minutes were first tracked in 1951-52 to score 40 in under 26 minutes, after Sleepy Floyd in 1991. The NBA said he joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and David Robinson as the only players since 1973-74 with more than one 40-point, 10-rebound, eight-block game. His other one came five days earlier, when he scored 52 against Dallas.

2. Cooper Flagg: 43 points, 10 rebounds, six assists

Flagg went 16 of 25 and hit two pull-up jumpers in the final minute as Dallas beat Indiana 125-122. ESPN reported he joined Kevin Durant as the only teenagers with at least 40 points and 10 rebounds in a game. Kyrie Irving added 35. The Mavericks are 7-4.

3. Anthony Davis: 44 points, 13 rebounds

Davis was a game-time decision with an ankle issue and scored 30 in the first half on 10-of-11 shooting. Washington still lost 122-111 at Detroit, its fourth straight loss.

4. Luka Dončić: 32 points, 10 assists, five steals

Back after missing Sunday with lower back tightness, Dončić led the Lakers past Atlanta 124-114 for their sixth straight win. His run of 40-point games ended at four. The Lakers are 10-2.

5. The Warriors' 51-point win

Golden State beat New Orleans 138-87 for its eighth straight win. Stephen Curry scored 25 in just over 20 minutes and passed DeMar DeRozan for 16th on the career scoring list. Brandin Podziemski also had 25.

The Spurs play Chicago on Tuesday, and Golden State visits Houston on Wednesday on ESPN.