Victor Wembanyama rose for a 17-foot jumper over Oso Ighodaro with 1.1 seconds left and buried it, giving the San Antonio Spurs a 101-100 win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night. That single shot clinched the Spurs' first playoff berth since 2019 and sent a sellout Frost Bank Center crowd into full-on chaos. It was the kind of finish that made it clear just how quickly this franchise has turned the corner.
Wembanyama finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds and three steals, while De'Aaron Fox added 23 as the Spurs moved to 52-18. Collin Gillespie led the Suns with 24 points, going 6 of 11 from deep, and Devin Booker poured in 22 on a heavy volume of attempts. A crowd of 18,646 watched as the final score and tiebreak math officially punched San Antonio's postseason ticket, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
How the finish unfolded
San Antonio's defense came up with a stand that forced a timeout and a sideline inbounds, which ultimately funneled the ball to Rasheer Fleming. With 11.1 seconds remaining, Fleming went to the line and missed both free throws, setting the stage for what came next. Out of the ensuing timeout, the Spurs drew up a set that sprang Wembanyama free. He dribbled for nine seconds, sized up Ighodaro, then rose for the 17-foot jumper that won it. The NBA's official game page and play-by-play log confirm the sequence and final shot, as shown on NBA.com.
What it means for the Spurs
Thursday's win locked in San Antonio's first postseason appearance since 2019 and gave the franchise a concrete platform heading into April. If the season ended today and the play-in bracket followed the current seeding, the Suns and Spurs would be lined up for a first-round matchup, a local rematch the San Antonio Express-News noted would be especially compelling.
Looking ahead
Now the focus shifts from simply clinching to sorting out seeding, workload and health as the regular season winds down. The remaining schedule will test different rotations and give the coaching staff room to fine tune matchups before the playoffs begin, in line with the league calendar outlined on Basketball-Reference.
For San Antonio, Thursday shapes up as a defining night for a young core led by Wembanyama and Fox, and for a fan base that has waited since 2019 to see playoff basketball again. The party will not last long, though, because the Spurs now have to get ready for what comes next.
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