Wembanyama’s Spurs reach Western finals, Pistons stay alive in NBA playoffs
Key takeaways
- San Antonio beat Timberwolves to book Western Conference Finals spot, while Detroit down Cleveland to level series at 3-3.
- It is the first time a revitalised San Antonio has reached the conference finals since 2017.
- 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 apiece.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
San Antonio beat Timberwolves to book Western Conference Finals spot, while Detroit down Cleveland to level series at 3-3.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs drives to the basket against the Minnesota Timberwolves [Jesse D Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images via AFP]By AFPPublished On 16 May 202616 May 2026The San Antonio Spurs have booked their ticket to the NBA Western Conference Finals with an emphatic 139-109 win over the Timberwolves, while the resilient Detroit Pistons stayed alive in the East by defeating Cleveland.
The Spurs arrived in Minnesota on Friday with a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven semifinals, and led throughout a victory that sets up a tantalising showdown series with the reigning champions and top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.