The Phoenix Suns rose to the occasion on Thursday night in a visit to San Antonio. However, Victor Wembanyama refused to let his hometown Spurs down in a 101-100 victory.
San Antonio returned back to Frost Bank Center after a brief two-game stint in California.
Meeting the Spurs in their homecoming were the Phoenix Suns, who had the opportunity to do what few teams have had the chance to do this season -- win their season series with San Antonio.
Entering Thursday, Phoenix led the Spurs 2-1 following a sweep in their home stadium before San Antonio took them down in their lone visit to their arena.
The Suns came out blazing, outscoring the Spurs after both the first and second quarters. Duo Devin Booker and Collin Gillespie torched San Antonio for 22 points and 24 points on the night, respectively.
Trailing by seven out of the break, San Antonio found its footing and finally outscored Phoenix in a quarter 21-20. Still lagging behind, the Spurs turned up the heat in the final frame.
Down 95-85 with just over five minutes to play, San Antonio went on a 14-5 run to draw within one in the closing seconds. That's when their superstar stepped up.
Victor Wembanyama went a game-high 34 points in another phenomenal outing, but none of his points were bigger than a 17-foot jumper to put the Spurs in front with just over a second to play.
His game-winner is the latest feat in an impressive campaign leading San Antonio back to NBA relevancy. It also gave the Spurs a guaranteed playoff spot, which is their first since 2019.
Outside of Wembanyama, DeAaron Fox continued to show his viability as a offensive weapon for San Antonio. He finished as the team's second-leading scorer with 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting.
The Spurs have now won four straight games and post the NBA's best record since February, going 17-2 down the stretch. While the playoffs are now a certainty, San Antonio remains alive for a potential top-seed in the Western Conference.
With 12 games to go, Oklahoma City remains in front of San Antonio by three games. However, if the Spurs can catch OKC, they'll earn the tiebreaker after a 4-1 series win over the Thunder.
The middling Indiana Pacers are next up for the red-hot squad, as they travel to Frost Bank Center on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT.