San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama strengthened his MVP case with a shot that clinched their playoff berth.
The San Antonio Spurs will head to the postseason after Victor Wembanyama nailed the game winning shot with 1.1 seconds remaining to beat the Phoenix Suns 101-100. With that victory, the Spurs clinched a spot in the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2019 and are the second team to secure their berth. It also marked the first go-ahead of Wembanyama’s career made in the final five seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime. He missed the previous five shots, per ESPN Research. Wembanyama finished the night with a game-high 34 points, 12 rebounds, and three steals. It was his 11th 30-point, 10-rebound game of the year. As San Antonio players went to celebrate on the court postgame, Keldon Johnson led an MVP chant over the microphone to a roaring crowd.
The win puts the Spurs just three games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, the first team to clinch the postseason, in the Western Conference with 12 games left in the NBA season. But San Antonio is hot on a four-game winning streak with the league’s best record since February, in which they’ve gone 17-2 and guaranteed the postseason. Not just that, but they are fighting for the top seed in the Western Conference. And in a star-driven league, they have one of the top ones in Wembanyama, with a talented cast around him as he strengthens his MVP case in an intriguing race this year.
Here is the full story from Spurs Roundtable writer Jonah Morgan on Wembanyama’s heroics and why his resume demands MVP consideration.
If the Spurs continue their hot streak and are able to catch the Thunder, they’ll own the critical tiebreaker due to their 4-1 series win over OKC. In their quest, which starts next against the Indiana Pacers, they’re led by one of the best in Wembanyama.