Published May 16, 2026
The San Antonio Spurs clinched a ticket to the NBA Western Conference Finals with a 139-109 victory over the Timberwolves, while the resilient Detroit Pistons remained in the East with a win over Cleveland.
The Spurs arrived in Minnesota on Friday with a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven semifinals and led all the way to victory, setting up an interesting showdown series with the reigning champions and top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
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A rejuvenated San Antonio has advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 2017. While the Thunder are once again the favorites to win the championship, the dangerous Spurs went 4-1 against Oklahoma City in the regular season.
Stephon Castle led the way with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11-of-16 field goals in Friday’s wire-to-wire win, while De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembaneyama added 21 and 19, respectively.
The win was vindication for French superstar Wenbanyama, who was ejected from Game 4 for elbowing Minnesota’s Naz Reid in the throat and was predictably targeted by the Timberwolves for the rest of the series.
“Of course I knew what they were going to do…I felt like if I had given in to the physicality and the dirtiness, it might have helped them,” Wenbanyama said.
“We knew we couldn’t get over the edge. So we had to play basketball and beat them.”
The Spurs got off to a great start, taking the lead in the first quarter, led by Castle, who was dominant in the paint.
When things got ugly for the Timberwolves, they fought back with Anthony Edwards leading the charge.
But from a 74-61 halftime lead, the Spurs came roaring back in the third quarter, successfully double-teaming Edwards and shutting down Minnesota’s biggest threat.
By the end of the third quarter, San Antonio had built an insurmountable lead of 26 points, and their 56% shooting accuracy was well above their opponents.
With eight minutes remaining, a timeout with a 25-point lead, and both teams preparing to clear their benches with minutes left, Edwards stepped up to take the lead and congratulate the Spurs on their big win.
“Right now, the words ‘conference finals’ seem unrealistic,” said Wenbanyama, 22.
“This is something I’ve heard all my life, but now we’re in it, it’s kind of surreal.”
Pistons lead Cavs to Game 7
Meanwhile, Cade Cunningham scored 21 points as Detroit avoided elimination with a 115-94 victory over the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The top-seeded Pistons were trailing 3-2 in the best-of-seven series ahead of Friday’s must-win game in Cleveland, but showed a remarkable onslaught from the start, building a double-digit lead and proving the difference between the two teams.
Undefeated this postseason at home at Rocket Arena, Cleveland needs a win on the road in Sunday’s decisive Game 7 in Detroit to advance.
Cunningham’s 21 points included five 3-pointers, and on the defensive end, Detroit center Jalen Duren had a dominant performance, including 11 rebounds, three blocks, and one steal.
Cunningham was one of six Pistons players to score in double figures, with Paul Reed adding 17 points off the bench and Duren and Danis Jenkins each scoring 15 points.
“We’re just trying to play our brand of basketball, go out there and run our system to the best of our ability. And we’re in this together,” Cunningham said afterward.
“It’s a great win for us because we work together in everything we do.”
James Harden led Cleveland’s scoring with 23 points, but Donovan Mitchell was limited to 18 points.
The Cavs got off to a bright start on Friday, building a six-point lead in the first quarter before the Pistons began attacking to take control.
Detroit’s commanding 22-4 lead accelerated the visiting team to a commanding 39-27 lead in the second quarter, and although Cleveland narrowed the lead to 54-51 at halftime, the Pistons recovered well and erased the Cavs’ threat with a 30-19 lead in the third quarter.
The result gave Detroit a 14-point lead going into the fourth, but the result was never in doubt and the Pistons maintained a double-digit lead for the win.
