標籤: scathing

The San Antonio Spurs are back in the playoffs after a six-season drought.

Of course, a big part of their comeback, literally and figuratively, is Victor Wembanyama. He drained the game-winning jumper against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday to beat the Spurs 101-100 at Frost Bank Center and secure their spot in the postseason.

With the shot clock expiring, Wembanyama took a few jab steps before pulling Oso Ighodaro up and burying the shot with 1.1 seconds remaining.

The Suns had a chance to steal the win, but Devin Booker’s half-court heave was too low.

As Spurs reporter Carolina Teague shared, the 22-year-old Wembanyama made no big deal of his clutch bucket when asked about it after the game.

“We ran the play, and De’Aaron had a good reaction, and said it was pretty straightforward,” the two-time All-Star shared.

Rasheer Fleming missed two free throws before Wembanyama’s game-winning shot.

The 7-foot-4 star finished with a game-high 34 points on 10-of-20 shooting, 12 rebounds and three steals.

De’Aaron Fox provided support with 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

The Spurs, who improved to 52-18, including 27-7 at home, played without Stephen Castle, who exited in the last minute with a hip injury.

Vembanyama has fully accepted his responsibility as the man in charge of Spurs. It felt like he still had a little reluctance to take over during his first two years, but now, he has become more aggressive in becoming a cornerstone of the team.

Vembanyama has even admitted that he is one of them, which should bode well for the Silver and Black as they look to return to the playoffs.

Recently, Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle made headlines by hitting back at the NBA for the franchise’s fine that revolved around the team allegedly sitting healthy players in an effort to tank. Carlisle claimed that the league had insisted that the injured Aaron Nesmith play, even after being prescribed medication for his ankle injury.

Now, the NBA has hit back at Carlisle’s harsh words with its own description of the events.

“Coach Carlisle’s description of the process involved in the decision to fine the Indiana Pacers is inaccurate. An independent physician led the medical review,” a league spokesperson said, per Brett Siegel, formerly of Twitter, via The Athletic. “…The Pacers confirmed that he provided all information requested by the league and the team stated that an interview with Coach Carlisle or the team physician was not necessary.”

Apparently, Carlisle and the league front office are not on the same page about what happened regarding Nesmith.

The NBA has been trying to crack down on tanking in recent weeks, as well as fining the Utah Jazz a hefty amount for sitting healthy players as teams try to secure the best draft picks.

The 2026 NBA Draft class is widely considered loaded, and the process of teaming a blue-chip prospect with a healthy Tyrese Haliburton next year is certainly an attractive one for the Pacers.

However, all things considered, it seems there are even more questionable tanking practices going on around the league than what is happening in Indiana.