Wembanyama clinches playoffs
San Antonio clinched its first playoff berth since 2019 after Victor Wembanyama drilled a mid-range game‑winner with one second left to beat the Phoenix Suns — Spurs sealed it Thursday at Frost Bank Center. Wembanyama finished with 34 points and the moment has analysts debating whether to build a franchise around him instead of Luka Dončić. (espn.com) (x.com) (sports.yahoo.com)
Wembanyama’s final bucket was his first career go‑ahead make in the final five seconds of a fourth quarter or overtime, a 17‑foot fadeaway that he buried with 1.1 seconds left — he then collided with a courtside fan who spilled red wine on his shorts as the Frost Bank Center crowd of 18,648 erupted. (espn.com)) He finished the night with 34 points, 12 rebounds and three steals, marking his 11th 30‑point/10‑rebound game this season — the most by a Spurs player in a single season since Tim Duncan’s 13 such games in 2003‑04. (espn.com)) San Antonio has been rolling recently, going 20‑2 since Feb. 1 — the best record in the NBA over that span — a stretch that underpins the club’s sudden leap into legitimate contention. (espn.com)) The win left the Spurs at 52‑18 and sitting second in the Western Conference as the regular season approaches its final weeks. (basketball-reference.com)) Contract decisions are looming: analysts and front‑office insiders say Wembanyama will be eligible for a rookie‑scale max extension this summer, with published projections for a five‑year deal ranging from about $252 million to roughly $271 million and incentive language that could push the total into the $300M+ range. (larrybrownsports.com)) The debate about building a franchise around Wembanyama instead of Luka Dončić has been fueled by leaguewide opinion polls — an annual NBA GM survey showed overwhelming support for Wembanyama as the preferred foundation piece — and by trade chatter that the Spurs could pursue blockbuster moves to assemble a complementary roster. (basketball.realgm.com))
