The San Antonio Spurs on Friday booked their ticket to the NBA Western Conference Finals with an emphatic 139-109 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, while the resilient Detroit Pistons stayed alive in the East by defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Spurs arrived in Minnesota with a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven semi-final series and led throughout a victory that sets up a tantalizing showdown series with the reigning champions, the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
It is the first time that a revitalized San Antonio have reached the conference finals since 2017. While the Thunder are heavy favorites for another championship, the dangerous Spurs enjoyed a 4-1 record against Oklahoma City in the regular season.
Photo: AFP
Stephon Castle led Friday’s wire-to-wire win with 32 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 11-of-16 from the field, ably backed up by De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama, who added 21 and 19 respectively.
The win was vindication for French superstar Wembanyama, who was ejected from Game 4 for smashing an elbow into the throat of Minnesota’s Naz Reid and was predictably targeted by the Timberwolves for the rest of the series.
“I knew, obviously, what they were going to do... I felt like if I gave in to the physicality and the dirtiness, that would have helped them,” Wembanyama said. “I knew I couldn’t go over the edge again. So, you know, I had to beat them by playing basketball.”
Photo: Jesse Johnson / Imagn Images
The Spurs got off to a fantastic start, tearing ahead in the first quarter, dominant in the paint and led by a rampant Castle.
Just when it was looking ugly for the Timberwolves, they fought back, their aggression spearheaded by star man Anthony Edwards.
However, from a 74-61 halftime lead, the Spurs roared clear in the third quarter, successfully double-teaming Edwards to shut down Minnesota’s most potent threat. By the end of the third quarter San Antonio enjoyed an insurmountable 26-point lead, their 56 percent shooting accuracy far outstripping the opposition.
Photo: AP
At a timeout with eight minutes remaining, a 25-point deficit on the board, and both teams preparing to send out their benches for the remaining minutes, Edwards walked over to pre-emptively congratulate the Spurs on their resounding win.
“The words ‘Conference Finals’ just seem surreal right now,” Wembanyama said. “It’s something I heard my whole life, and now we’re in it, it’s kind of unreal.”
Meanwhile, Cade Cunningham scored 21 points as Detroit staved off elimination with a 115-94 victory over the Cavaliers in their Eastern Conference semi-final series.
Photo: AFP
The top-seeded Pistons — trailing 3-2 in the best-of-seven series before Friday’s must-win game in Cleveland — produced a dazzling early onslaught to build a double-digit lead that proved the difference between the two sides.
Cleveland, who had been unbeaten at their Rocket Arena home this post-season, now have to win on the road in today’s decisive Game 7 in Detroit to advance.
Cunningham’s 21 points included five three-pointers, while at the defensive end, Detroit center Jalen Duren delivered a dominant performance that included 11 rebounds, three blocks and a steal.
Photo: AFP
Cunningham was one of six Pistons players to finish in double figures, with Paul Reed adding 17 off the bench, and Duren and Daniss Jenkins scoring 15 points apiece.
“We’re just playing our brand of basketball, coming out competing, trying to execute our system to the best of our ability and we’re together,” Cunningham said afterward. “We stick together through everything, so it’s a great win for us.”
James Harden led the scoring for Cleveland with 23 points, while Donovan Mitchell was restricted to 18 points.
The Cavs started Friday’s game brightly, opening up a six-point lead in the first quarter before the Pistons started firing to take a grip on the contest.
A devastating 22-4 run by Detroit saw the visitors accelerate into a commanding 39-27 lead in the second quarter and although Cleveland closed the gap to 54-51 at halftime, the Pistons regrouped impressively to snuff out the Cavs’ threat with a 30-19 third quarter.
That left Detroit leading by 14 points heading into the fourth and the result was never in doubt, with the Pistons maintaining a double-digit lead to close out victory.
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