Victor Wembanyama seals San Antonio Spurs playoff spot with late winner
Victor Wembanyama hit a dramatic 17-foot fadeaway with 1.1 seconds remaining as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Phoenix Suns 101-100 to end a six-year NBA playoff drought.
The towering Frenchman scored 34 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to secure his franchise’s first postseason berth since 2019.
San Antonio are only the second team to confirm their playoff status this season, following the Oklahoma City Thunder.
A historic night for the young star
The standout center’s decisive jumper over Oso Ighodaro marked his first successful go-ahead shot in the final five seconds of a fourth quarter or overtime period.
He had missed his five previous late-game clutch attempts before Thursday’s breakthrough at the Frost Bank Center.
“We know it’s not going to be an open shot most of the time. In this situation, you want to wait,” said Wembanyama.
“So, you want to shoot it as close to one or two seconds remaining. This way, we have a chance to get an offensive rebound if we miss and if we make it, they don’t have time.”
Duncan comparisons and courtside chaos
The phenomenal performance was the 20-year-old’s 11th game this season recording at least 30 points and 10 rebounds.
That remarkable tally is the most by any Spurs player since Hall of Famer Tim Duncan achieved 13 such outings during the 2003-04 campaign.
The frantic final seconds also featured an unusual moment when a courtside fan accidentally spilled red wine over the match-winner’s shorts as he rushed back to defend.
Devin Booker’s desperate buzzer-beater attempt for Phoenix subsequently fell short, sparking wild celebrations on the court.
“It was hard to take in all the stimulus around me,” added the former number one draft pick.
“I had the fans looking at me. I had this guy spill wine on me. There was a lot going on.”
MVP shouts for the franchise cornerstone
Following the final whistle, the triumphant squad gathered around the traditional drum to celebrate with the 18,648 fans in attendance.
Longest-tenured roster member Keldon Johnson then grabbed the arena microphone to initiate chants of “MVP” for their generational talent.
“He deserves his flowers, he’s playing at that type of level,” stated Johnson.
“He’s been our guy on and off the court. I’ll be the one to go out there, speak out and say what needs to be said: ‘Victor Wembanyama, MVP.'”
