Wembanyama lifts playoff-bound Spurs, Doncic and James fuel Lakers

The Lakers' surge has seen them climb from sixth to third in the Western Conference, where second-placed San Antonio have now joined reigning champions Oklahoma City with their first playoff berth since 2019.

Knowing they could punch their playoff ticket with a win, the Spurs trailed by 10 with 4:50 left to play.

They were five back with 1:01 remaining when Wembanyama drained a pair of free throws and De'Aaron Fox drove for a layup to cut the deficit to one with 26.6 seconds left.

The Spurs bottled up Devin Booker to force the Suns to call a timeout and on the ensuing inbounds Wembanyama fouled rookie Rasheer Fleming -- who missed both free throws.

When Wembanyama's basket over Oso Ighodaro swished through the net the crowd at Frost Bank Center went wild.

"We haven't had a game like this in a while," said Wembanyama, who led all scorers with 34 points and added 12 rebounds. "Feels good to know we've still got it."

The 22-year-old French star was trying to take a measured approach now that his first trip to the playoffs is assured.

"Of course the first instinct is to be proud of it and to love it because we're part of it," he said. "But the key for me is to try to not care because we want to attack 82 games.

"I'm scared to become complacent."

In Miami, James tied Robert Parish's record for most NBA regular-season games played with his 1,611th -- a mark he can surpass when the Lakers play in Orlando on Saturday.

Both James and Doncic were listed as "questionable" on the Lakers' early injury report after the team arrived in Miami at 4:00 am in the wake of their win in Houston on Wednesday.

"I was tired," said Doncic, who scored 20 points in the fourth quarter as the Lakers cemented victory, having taken their first lead in the third quarter.

- Beating Father Time -

NBA scoring leader Doncic connected on 18 of 30 shots, including nine three-pointers, on the way to his second 50-plus point game of the season. He scored 51 in a win over Chicago in March.

James, coming off a stellar 13-of-14 shooting display in Houston, made his first seven shots from the field and didn't miss one until the final period.

His latest masterpiece came in the city where he won the first two of his four NBA titles, and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was full of admiration.

"He's not only competing against the entire league but also Father Time," Spoelstra said. "And he's giving Father Time hell."

Added Doncic: "The way he's playing it's incredible to watch."

Jalen Duren scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to propel Eastern Conference leaders Detroit to a 117-95 victory over the Wizards in Washington.

The Pistons won their first game since learning star Cade Cunningham would miss at least two weeks with a collapsed lung.

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