Spurs Clinch Playoff Spot

The Spurs became the second NBA team to clinch a playoff spot after pulling off a comeback victory over Phoenix on Thursday.

Victor Wembanyama, who had game highs of 34 points and 12 rebounds in 35 minutes, converted a game-winning fadeaway jump shot with 1.1 seconds remaining to put San Antonio up one (Twitter video link via the NBA). The Suns didn’t have a timeout to advance the ball, and Devin Booker missed a heave from beyond half court as time expired.

The Spurs, who have the second-best record in the league and are currently the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, improved to 52-18 with the win, while the No. 7 Suns dropped to 39-31. Phoenix is now 13 games behind San Antonio with only 12 games remaining, so there’s no way for the Suns to make up the deficit.

This will be the first playoff appearance for the Spurs since 2019, when they were eliminated in a seven-game first-round series against Denver. No one from that roster is on the current iteration of the team.

The Spurs had a strong start to the season, going 23-7 over their first 30 games. They had a brief lull in the middle of the season, compiling a 9-9 record from December 27 through January 31, but have been on fire ever since, reeling off 20 wins in their past 22 games.

San Antonio trails Oklahoma City, the only other team to secure a playoff berth, by three games for the top seed in the West.