Spurs end 6-year playoff drought behind Wembanyama’s game winner

SAN ANTONIO – As 9.7 seconds passed and the sellout crowd at Frost Bank Center gasped in anticipation, Victor Wembanyama Surveyed the defense, stepped to the right and took a dribble before completing the shot that would lead to the win. Spurs Their first postseason berth since 2019.

Vembanyama gives the go-ahead for a 17-foot fadeaway over. oso ighodaro San Antonio lost 101-100 with 1.1 seconds left phoenix sun. The shot gave Vembanyama the go-ahead lead for the first time in his career in the final five seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime, according to ESPN Research, after missing five previous attempts.

“We know most of the time it won’t be an open shot,” Vembanyama said. “In this situation, you want to wait. If you take the shot too early, whether you make it or miss, you’re shooting yourself in the foot because the defense will probably get the rebound and have time or inbound and have time. So, you want to shoot it as close as a second or two. [remaining]. This way, if we miss and miss we have a chance to get an offensive counterattack [it]They don’t have time.”

Wembanyama finished with a game-high 34 points, along with 12 rebounds and three steals for San Antonio, which became the second NBA team to clinch a postseason berth after Oklahoma City, which won Tuesday. The performance was Wembanyama’s 11th 30-point, 10-rebound game of the season, fourth-best in the NBA and the most by a Spurs player since 2003–04, when Hall of Famer Tim Duncan had 13 such performances.

While sprinting for defense after the go-ahead bucket, Wembanyama collided with a fan sitting courtside, who spilled red wine on Wembanyama’s shorts. As Devin Booker’s last desperate gasp fell short for the Suns at the buzzer, Wembanyama tore off his jersey near halfcourt. dylan harper Moved up to give a playful push.

“It was hard to keep up with all the excitement around me,” Vembanyama said, still pulling up the left leg of his wine-stained shorts. “The fans were looking at me. This guy spilled wine on me. There was a lot going on. I didn’t even see all my teammates come up for a second, so I felt like I was cornered.”

Nevertheless, as the team walked onto the court together to the Spurs drum to begin San Antonio’s postgame victory celebration, Wembanyama raised both hands in celebration. As Vembanyama finished exciting the crowd of 18,648, teammates keldon johnson Grabbed the microphone to start the MVP chant.

“I didn’t know what I was going to say,” said Johnson, the longest-tenured Spur, who was drafted 55 days after the team was eliminated in the opening round of the 2019 playoffs. “I just knew we needed to get on the mic. He deserves his flowers. He’s playing at that type of level. He’s been our guy on and off the court. I’ll be the one to go out there, speak up and say what needs to be said. And that’s what needs to be said: ‘Victor Wembanyama, MVP.'”

In a game that included six lead changes and three ties, San Antonio trailed most of the time after taking an early lead. After playing from behind throughout the second quarter, the Spurs finally tied the score at 70-all with 3:55 remaining in the third quarter.

With 4:50 remaining, Phoenix had already built another 10-point lead when Booker hit a cutting Khaman Maluch For a sting. From that point, Wembanyama scored seven points and point guard De’Aaron Fox had nine of his 23 points as San Antonio went on a 16–5 run that spoiled the Suns guard’s 24-point night. Colin Gillespie This was aided by Booker’s 22-point contribution.

“We were trailing basically the whole game,” Fox said. “To be able to trail by six to 10 points the whole game and chip away at it in the last few minutes was great for us.”

San Antonio is 20-2 since Feb. 1, the best mark in the NBA over that span. The Spurs ultimately ended their longest playoff drought (six seasons) in franchise history. Before this latest bout with futility, San Antonio had never missed the postseason in back-to-back seasons.

“I’m happy for the city, the community and the organization,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “It’s rewarding to be a part of that process.”

Meanwhile, Wembanyama credited Fox, the first winner of the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year award, for anticipating “what the defense would do, so [he] Kind of told me what to do” on the go-ahead jumper that won the game.

“Yeah, we’ve got our game ready,” Fox said. “We had a clear side, and I asked if he wanted somebody in the corner because when you have a clear side, teams tend to bend. That helps more. So, he said he wanted somebody there. So, I said, ‘Okay, we’re going to have a shooter right there.’ So, we put [Devin Vassell] In the corner just to make sure they don’t help him. He took his time. He reached a place. He hit the game winner.”