Victor Wembanyama snaps the Spurs 6-season playoff drought in dramatic fashion with game-winning shot

Victor Wembanyama sent the San Antonio Spurs backmost to the playoffs successful melodramatic fashion.

Wembanyama drilled a 17-foot jumper with a 2nd near to springiness the Spurs a 101-100 triumph implicit the Phoenix Suns connected Thursday nighttime astatine the Frost Bank Center to nonstop the Spurs backmost to the playoffs for the archetypal clip successful six seasons.

The 22-year-old’s game-winning changeable capped a furious last-minute rally. The Spurs were down 100-95 with 1:13 near aft Suns guardant Jordan Goodwin drilled a 3-pointer.

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San Antonio Spurs guardant Victor Wembanyama, center, celebrates with teammates aft hitting a game-winning changeable against the Phoenix Suns successful the last seconds of an NBA hoops crippled successful San Antonio, Texas, connected March 19, 2026. (Eric Gay/AP Photo)

Wembanyama sparked the comeback erstwhile helium snared an violative rebound and was fouled by Suns prima Devin Booker and drilled 2 escaped throws to chopped the Suns' pb to 100-97. Booker past missed a changeable connected the different extremity of the floor, and Spurs constituent defender De’Aaron Fox rapidly scored a layup to marque it 100-99.

The Suns had a accidental to instrumentality a three-point pb erstwhile Wembanyama fouled Rasheer Fleming connected a instrumentality foul. However, Fleming missed some escaped throws, and the Spurs corralled the rebound, and instantly took a timeout.

Wembanyama capitalized connected the missed escaped throws and drilled the game-winning jumper, sending the Spurs backmost to the playoffs.

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San Antonio Spurs guardant Victor Wembanyama (1) is celebrated by teammates Dylan Harper, Devin Vassell (24) and others aft helium deed a game-winning changeable against the Phoenix Suns successful the last seconds of an NBA hoops crippled successful San Antonio, Texas, connected March 19, 2026. (Eric Gay/AP Photo)

Wembanyama said aft the crippled that helium was playing with wine-stained shorts aft idiosyncratic spilled vino connected him.

"It was hard to instrumentality successful each the stimulus astir me," Wembanyama said. "I had the fans looking astatine me. I had this feline spill vino connected me. And past that was earlier the extremity of the game. I’d made the shot. I would sprint backmost connected defence and benignant of deed a feline and I got vino connected my shorts now. It was a batch going on."

Wembanyama, who scored 34 points and brought successful 12 rebounds successful the win, said helium was blessed to marque the playoffs but is not satisfied.

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San Antonio Spurs guardant Victor Wembanyama (1) is celebrated by fans aft helium deed a game-winning changeable against the Phoenix Suns successful the last seconds of an NBA hoops crippled successful San Antonio, Texas, connected March 19, 2026. (Eric Gay/AP Photo)

"Of course, the archetypal instinct is to beryllium arrogant of it and to emotion it due to the fact that we’re portion of it," Wembanyama said. "But the cardinal for maine is to effort to not attraction due to the fact that we privation to onslaught 82 games. I’m frightened to go complacent, truthful I’ll beryllium connected the different extremity of the spectrum close now. Try to not attraction astatine all."

The Spurs are 52-18 and are 3 games down the Oklahoma City Thunder (55-15) for the No. 1 effect successful the Western Conference.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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