PLAYOFFS-BOUND:
San Antonio knew that they could book a post-season berth with a win, but they trailed by 10 with less than 5 minutes to play before rallying
Victor Wembanyama’s game-winner on Thursday lifted the San Antonio Spurs to a 101-100 triumph over the Phoenix Suns and into the NBA playoffs, while the Los Angeles Lakers kept up their post-season push with an eighth straight victory.
Luka Doncic scored 60 points and 41-year-old LeBron James hit another NBA milestone in style with a 19-point, 15-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in the Lakers’ 134-126 victory over the Miami Heat.
The Lakers’ surge has seen them climb from sixth to third in the Western Conference, where second-placed San Antonio have joined reigning champions the Oklahoma City Thunder with their first playoffs berth since 2019.
Photo: AFP
Knowing they could punch their playoffs ticket with a win, the Spurs trailed by 10 with 4 minutes, 50 seconds left to play.
They were five behind with 1 minute, 1 second remaining when Wembanyama drained a pair of free throws and De’Aaron Fox drove for a layup to cut the deficit to one with 26.6 seconds left.
The Spurs bottled up Devin Booker to force the Suns to call a timeout and on the ensuing inbounds Wembanyama fouled rookie Rasheer Fleming, who missed both free throws.
When Wembanyama’s basket over Oso Ighodaro swished through the net the crowd at Frost Bank Center went wild.
“We haven’t had a game like this in a while,” said Wembanyama, who led all scorers with 34 points and added 12 rebounds. “Feels good to know we’ve still got it.”
The 22-year-old French star was trying to take a measured approach now that his first trip to the playoffs is assured.
“Of course the first instinct is to be proud of it and to love it because we’re part of it, but the key for me is to try to not care because we want to attack 82 games,” he said. “I’m scared to become complacent.”
In Miami, James tied Robert Parish’s record, set in 1997, for most NBA regular-season games played with his 1,611th — a mark he can surpass with the Lakers today to play the Orlando Magic, who on Thursday lost 130-111 against the Charlotte Hornets.
James and Doncic were listed as “questionable” on the Lakers’ early injury report after the team arrived in Miami at 4am in the wake of their win against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
“I was tired,” said Doncic, who scored 20 points in the fourth quarter as the Lakers cemented victory, having taken their first lead in the third quarter.
NBA scoring leader Doncic connected on 18 of 30 shots, including nine three-pointers, on the way to his second 50-plus point game of the season. He scored 51 in a win last month over the Chicago Bulls, who on Thursday lost 115-110 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
James, coming off a stellar 13-of-14 shooting display in Houston, Texas, made his first seven shots from the field and did not miss one until the final period.
“Availability, I’ve always wanted to be available to my teammates,” James said. “It’s a mental toll, trying to play a lot and being out there… I just give a lot of praise to the man above and [it’s about] just loving the game and appreciating the game.”
His latest masterpiece was in the city where he won the first two of his four NBA titles and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was full of praise.
“He’s not only competing against the entire league, but also Father Time,” Spoelstra said. “And he’s giving Father Time hell.”
“The way he’s playing, it’s incredible to watch,” Doncic said.
Playing an unprecedented 23rd season, James already holds a host of NBA records, including points scored, field goals made and field goals attempted.
Jalen Duren scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to propel the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons to a 117-95 victory over the Washington Wizards.
The Pistons won their first game since learning that star Cade Cunningham would miss at least two weeks with a collapsed lung.
Elsewhere, the Utah Jazz trounced the Milwaukee Bucks 128-96, the New Orleans Pelicans downed the LA Clippers 105-99 and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Sacramento Kings 139-118.
Additional reporting by Reuters