Wembanyama has 19 points, 7 rebounds and 6 blocks to lead Spurs to 96-87 win over Nets

NEW YORK (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had 19 points, seven rebounds and six blocks, Jeremy Sochan had 12 points and 14 rebounds and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Brooklyn Nets 96-87 on Friday night.

Julian Champagnie scored 18 points, and Keldon Johnson had 15 points and six rebounds to help the Spurs end a two-game skid.

Keon Johnson scored a game-high 25 points and Shake Milton chipped in with 16 points and 12 assists for Brooklyn, which fell for the ninth time in its past 12 games.

San Antonio: After an abysmal shooting first half, where they shot just 27.5% from the field, the Spurs lit it up in the second half by making 21 of 37 field goals (56.7%).

Brooklyn: Playing the second of a back-to-back, and without leading scorer Cam Johnson (hip contusion) and assist leader Ben Simmons (lower back management), the Nets struggled to generate offense, shooting just 38.9% from the field and scoring a season low for points.

After a quiet four-point first half, Wembanyama came alive in the third quarter by scoring 11 points and knocking down three 3-pointers during the Spurs’ 22-9 run that turned a two-point deficit in to a 69-58 lead.

The Spurs survived a brief third-quarter scare when Wembanyama went to the locker room after catching Jalen Wilson’s accidental head butt with 4:43 left. San Antonio outscored Brooklyn 12-8 with Wembanyama out of the game and 33-21 overall in the third quarter.

Wembanyama had at least four blocks in his fifth straight game. He also recorded at least one 3-pointer and at least one block for the 22nd straight game.

San Antonio: at Minnesota on Sunday.

Brooklyn: at Orlando on Sunday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Brooklyn Nets' Noah Clowney, center, shoots the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

San Antonio Spurs' Devin Vassell, center, reacts after scoring a 3-point basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

San Antonio Spurs' Devin Vassell, left, defends the ball from Brooklyn Nets' Shake Milton, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

San Antonio Spurs' Devin Vassell, left, shoots the ball against Brooklyn Nets' Nic Claxton, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Brooklyn Nets' Shake Milton, right, dribbles the ball against San Antonio Spurs' Jeremy Sochan, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

GOTHENBURG, Sweden (AP) —

Burial associations in Sweden are looking to acquire enough land for something they hope they'll never have to do: bury thousands of people in the event of war.

The search follows recommendations from the Church of Sweden’s national secretariat, which reflect crisis preparedness guidelines from the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) and the Swedish Armed Forces.

The preparedness guidelines have been put in a new light by Sweden's decision to join NATO and tensions with Russia in the Baltic Sea region.

According to the Church of Sweden provisions, supported by legal paragraphs in Sweden’s Burial Act, burial associations are responsible for ensuring the availability of enough land to bury roughly 5 percent of the population within a parish, if needed.

The Goteborg Burial Association, which operates in Sweden’s second-largest city, is currently trying to navigate the challenge of acquiring at least 10 acres (40,470 square meters) of land to ensure it can handle urgent casket burials for some 30,000 dead in case of war. That is in addition to another 15 acres (60,700 square meters) of land needed for building graveyards for regular use in Goteborg.

”The (recommendations) mean that we need more land for burial grounds and this is a phenomenon in the big cities, and a problem in the big cities, where land resources are scarce to begin with and not always sufficient to meet burial ground needs even in times of calm and peace,” said Katarina Evenseth, senior advisor at the Goteborg Burial Association.

Together with the local municipality, which has a monopoly in making decisions about land usage in Goteborg, the burial association has identified a vast area appropriate for building a large-scale cemetery for the intended purpose.

But a lengthy approval and building process means it could take approximately 10 years to complete, posing further challenges in uncertain times.

Meanwhile, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) continues to stress the importance of crisis preparedness and highlights the efforts of the Church of Sweden.

”Already back in 2015 the Government assigned various authorities to once again start engaging in civil defense planning, and many organizations have started planning, with the Church of Sweden being at the forefront of that planning,” said Jan-Olof Olsson, Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) expert at MSB.

“Unfortunately it is the case that we are reminded to a greater degree that war could happen and that we simply need to be prepared for that,” Olsson said.

Sweden pursued a policy of neutrality from the early 19th Century, including during World War II.

But public opinion shifted sharply in 2022 after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, leading to Sweden and Finland applying to join the transatlantic alliance out of concern about the threat from their newly aggressive Russian neighbor across the Baltic Sea.

Sweden and Finland sent out updated civil preparedness guides in November with instructions on how to survive in war. The guides are similar to those in Denmark and Norway, though they don't mention Russia by name.

A view of the entrance sign at Östra Kyrkogården, one of the largest cemeteries in Gothenburg, Sweden, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Mimmi Montgomery)

Hundreds of old graves at Östra Kyrkogården, one of the largest cemeteries in Gothenburg, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024 in Gothenburg, Sweden. (AP Photo/Mimmi Montgomery)

Jan-Olof Olsson, Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) expert at the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) holds a yellow crisis preparedness brochure titled "In case of crisis or war", which was distributed to all Swedish households, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024, in Karlstad, Sweden. (AP Photo/Mimmi Montgomery)