NBA: Wembanyama leads Spurs' assault on Minnesota, Knicks close in on conference finals

With a spectacular 39-point performance from Victor Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs cruised to a 115-108 victory on Friday in their visit to the Minnesota Timberwolves, taking a 2-1 lead in this NBA Western Conference semifinal.

The Texans, who started the series losing at home, regained home-court advantage and now need only two more wins to reach their first conference final since 2017.

Wembanyama recorded his best offensive game of these playoffs, scoring 39 points on an excellent 13-of-18 shooting from the field, to go with 15 rebounds and five blocks.

The French center became just the fourth player in history to score at least 35 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks in a playoff game, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O’Neal.

"I've been waiting for these moments since I came into the league," said the player, who has won Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards since entering the NBA in 2023.

"These big games are what I love. The feeling I get before I play, I don't know if it's excitement or warmth in my heart it's huge and it keeps growing as the games go on," he explained.

This is "greatness"

The Frenchman was averaging 15 points in his first two duels against compatriot and mentor Rudy Gobert, who on Friday could no longer control the 7-foot-4-inch giant.

Wemby even exceeded his average in the final quarter, in which he scored 16 points.

Minnesota came within a single point (99-98) with six minutes left with a huge effort by its star, Anthony Edwards.

The guard posted 32 points and 14 rebounds in his first start in the series after his express recovery from a hyperextended knee.

With seven nearly back-to-back points from Wembanyama, the Spurs clinched the sweep and will try to extend their lead Sunday to finish off the series in front of their home crowd.

This is "greatness. We all know it.We see it every day. We see the work and the time he puts into his game and his body, knowing that teams are going to try to be physical with him," point guard De'Aaron Fox said of teammate Wembanyama.

"He knows what he's going to have to put up with, but he goes out there and responds," said Fox, who scored 17 points.

Sixers on the floor

In the East, the New York Knicks are on the verge of reaching the conference finals after taking a 3-0 lead against the Philadelphia 76ers with a 108-94 road win Friday.

Jalen Brunson, with 33 points and nine assists, commanded the sixth straight win for the Knicks, who have not lost a game since being down 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs to the Atlanta Hawks.

Buoyed for the first time by their raucous fans, the Sixers had been banking everything on the return of Joel Embiid to keep from falling into a 3-0 deficit, one that no team has overcome in playoff history.

But the Cameroonian center, who was out for the second matchup on Wednesday with a sprained right ankle, wasn't decisive this time as he was held to 18 points and six rebounds.

"When you're in a situation like this, all you can do is try to get the next opportunity and see what happens," Sixers coach Nick Nurse said of the slim prospects for a comeback.

The Sixers went on to win by 12 points against a Knicks team that had to adjust to the loss of injured OG Anunoby, a key player on both ends of the court.

But New York, the most solid team in the conference this postseason, reacted immediately, adjusted its defense and scored 33 points on 57% shooting in a spectacular second quarter to go into halftime with a lead it would not relinquish.

Eager to reach their first NBA Finals since 1999, the Knicks will get their first chance to eliminate the Sixers on Sunday in Game 4 of the series.