Wembanyama's 17-foot fadeaway sends Spurs to playoffs
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- Victor Wembanyama drilled a go-ahead 17-foot fadeaway over Oso Ighodaro with 1.1 seconds left, his first career go-ahead make in the final five seconds of a game after missing five previous attempts, per ESPN Research.
- Wembanyama finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds and three steals — his 11th 30-point, 10-rebound game of the season, the most by a Spurs player since Tim Duncan posted 13 such outings in 2003-04.
- De'Aaron Fox added 23 points, including nine during San Antonio's closing 16-5 run that erased a 10-point deficit; he also called the final play, asking Wembanyama if he wanted a corner shooter to keep help defenders honest.
- San Antonio improved to 20-2 since Feb. 1 — the NBA's best mark over that span — and became the league's second team to clinch a postseason berth, one day after Oklahoma City.
- Keldon Johnson, the longest-tenured Spur, grabbed the court microphone after the win to start an "MVP" chant for Wembanyama, who had red wine spilled on his shorts by a courtside fan during the celebration.
- Collin Gillespie led Phoenix with 24 points off the bench and Devin Booker added 22, but Booker's final heave at the buzzer fell short.
Why it matters: San Antonio ended a six-season playoff drought — its longest ever — behind a 34-point, 12-rebound performance from Wembanyama that marked his first career go-ahead make inside the final five seconds. The Spurs' 20-2 record since Feb. 1 is the NBA's best over that span, meaning the league's youngest superstar just carried one of its most decorated franchises back to the postseason in only his second year.
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