San Antonio — Rookie center Victor Wembanyama nailed a 17-foot fadeaway with 1.1 seconds remaining on Thursday night, lifting the San Antonio Spurs to a 101-100 victory over the Phoenix Suns and clinching the franchise’s first postseason berth in five years.
“We know it’s not going to be an open shot most of the time,” Wembanyama said afterward, according to ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. “You want to shoot it as close to one or two seconds [remaining]. This way they don’t have time.”
The 7-foot-4 standout scored 34 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, overcoming five previous misses on potential go-ahead attempts during his young NBA career. This time, he waited for the clock to wind down, rose over a defender and connected.
“Yeah, we had our play drawn up,” Spurs guard DeAaron Fox said. “He took his time. He got to a spot. He hit the game winner.”
San Antonio trailed most of the night at Frost Bank Center but closed on a late surge to secure the win. The Spurs have captured 20 victories in their last 22 games dating back to Feb. 1, ending the longest playoff drought in team history.
As the celebration began, forward Keldon Johnson grabbed the public-address microphone and declared, “He deserves his flowers — Victor Wembanyama, MVP.”
Source: Hoops Wire
