Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs made it four wins in a row on Friday night with a 101-100 home victory against the Phoenix Suns.
Wembanyama had another big game, going off for a game-high 34 points on 10-of-20 shooting, 12 rebounds, an assist, three steals, one block and two triples in 35 minutes of action. He also scored the go-ahead basket for the Spurs with just 1.1 seconds remaining to seal the win.
Friday’s victory also marked San Antonio’s ninth win in its last 10 games. They improved to 52-18, strengthening their hold on the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference. Wembanyama and Co. remain 7.0 games ahead of the third-seeded Los Angeles Lakers. They are also just 3.0 games behind the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are currently No. 1 in the West.
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Wembanyama has been nothing short of spectacular in his third season in the NBA. Entering Thursday’s contest, the two-time All-Star had averages of 24.2 points on 50.6% shooting, 11.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.0 steals and an NBA-best 3.0 blocks in 29.3 minutes per contest. Wembanyama is also a legitimate threat from deep, knocking down 2.0 triples per game on a 35.9% clip.
With the 22-year-old leading the way, the Spurs have established themselves as a real threat to the title this season. They took a significant step toward this goal on Thursday.
After their win over Phoenix, the NBA announced that the Spurs have officially clinched a playoff spot.
“With their win tonight, the Spurs clinch a Western Conference top 6 seed in the NBA Playoffs presented by @Google !” the league posted on X.
The job is far from over for Wembanyama and Co., though. They still have a long way to go before they even start thinking about the postseason.
The Spurs may be one of the favorites to win it all this year, but they must remain focused on the task at hand. Right now, they turn their attention to winning their next game. This comes in the form of a home matchup against a 15-55 Indiana Pacers side on Saturday.
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