San Antonio Spurs reach West final in NBA play-offs as Detroit Pistons stay alive in East
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs drives around Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the fourth quarter in Game 6.
Getty Images via AFP
LOS ANGELES – The San Antonio Spurs booked their ticket to the NBA Western Conference Finals with an emphatic 139-109 win over the Timberwolves on May 15, as the resilient Detroit Pistons stayed alive in the East by defeating Cleveland.
The Spurs arrived in Minnesota with a 3-2 lead in their semi-finals, and led throughout a victory that sets up a tantalising showdown series with reigning champions and top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
Stephon Castle led the wire-to-wire win with 32 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 11 of 16 from the field. He was ably backed up by De’Aaron Fox and French superstar Victor Wembanyama, who added 21 and 19 respectively.
It is the first time a revitalised San Antonio have reached the conference Finals since 2017. While the Thunder are heavy favourites for another championship, the dangerous Spurs enjoyed a 4-1 record against Oklahoma City in the regular season.
“We don’t really care about the outside noise. We knew that we were ahead of schedule probably in December of last year,” said Castle.
“We know it’s going to be tough to knock them off, but I think we’re pretty confident we can do it.”
From a 74-61 half-time lead, the Spurs roared clear in the third quarter, successfully double-teaming Anthony Edwards to shut down Minnesota’s most potent threat.
By the end of the period, San Antonio enjoyed an insurmountable 26-point lead, their 56 per cent shooting accuracy far outstripping the opposition.
At a timeout with eight minutes remaining, a 25-point deficit on the board, and both teams preparing to send out their benches for the remaining minutes, Edwards walked over to pre-emptively congratulate the Spurs on their resounding win.
Meanwhile, Cade Cunningham scored 21 points as Detroit staved off elimination with a 115-94 victory over the Cavaliers in their Eastern semi-finals.
The top-seeded Pistons – trailing 3-2 before the must-win game in Cleveland – produced a dazzling early onslaught to build a double-digit lead that proved the difference between the two sides.
Cleveland, who had been unbeaten at their Rocket Arena home this post-season, will now have to win on the road in May 17’s decisive Game 7 in Detroit to advance.
Cunningham’s 21 points included five three-pointers. At the defensive end, Detroit centre Jalen Duren delivered a dominant performance that included 11 rebounds, three blocks and a steal.
Cunningham was one of six Pistons players to finish in double figures.
“We’re just playing our brand of basketball, coming out competing, trying to execute our system to the best of our ability, and we’re together,” he said.
“We stick together through everything, so it’s a great win for us.”
James Harden led Cleveland’s scoring with 23 points while Donovan Mitchell was restricted to 18 points. AFP
