Thanks to Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, there will be a photo finish atop the Western Conference standings.
While Wemby's Spurs are a few years away from being the team that's in contention for the top seed, they got to play the role of spoiler by completing a thrilling comeback over Nikola Jokic and the defending champion Nuggets in Game 81 of the 2023-24 season.
With the win, San Antonio may have altered the entire landscape of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, something both Minnesota and Oklahoma City could come to appreciate.
Re-live a signature performance by Wembanyama and an incredible game-winner from his teammate Devonte' Graham before shifting gears to how the Thunder and Timberwolves could emerge as the biggest winners.
MORE: TSN's Steph Noh shares his expert All-NBA picks
How Victor Wembanyama, Spurs beat Nuggets
After a big win over the Timberwolves on Wednesday, the Nuggets entered San Antonio with a 56-24 record and the West's No. 1 seed. To finish first in the West, Denver just needed to win its final two games to finish at 58-24.
It quickly became apparent that the Nuggets understood what needed to be done.
Less than two minutes into the second half, a 3-pointer from Michael Porter Jr. gave the Nuggets a 76-53 lead and force Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich to call a timeout. From that point, everything changed.
As San Antonio began to chip away, Wembanyama took over, scoring 17 points in under three minutes of game time. It may sound a bit too ridiculous to believe, but it's true.
WEMBY 17 PTS IN 3 MIN 😱 pic.twitter.com/ig4dvRxNn8
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 13, 2024
At the end of that spurt, San Antonio had cut its deficit to eight points, though Denver would regain control to enter the fourth quarter with a 13-point advantage.
The Spurs trailed by 17 points early in the final frame before chipping away once again, cutting the deficit to three points with under three minutes remaining.
From there, things got wild.
With the team still trailing by three points, a driving layup from Graham cut the deficit to one point with 30 seconds remaining. After San Antonio got a crucial stop on the ensuing possession, the team opted against calling a timeout, setting up this wild finish from Graham with under a second remaining:
DEVONTE' GRAHAM GIVES THE SPURS THE LEAD WITH 0.9 REMAINING!
— NBA (@NBA) April 13, 2024
Nuggets ball on the NBA App
📲 https://t.co/Be9tKuGugY pic.twitter.com/nqubViwgzp
As time expired, Wembanyama's competitive fire was on full display as he spiked the ball into the ground while relishing the moment with San Antonio's fans. His final stat line of 34 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two blocks is one to marvel over, too.
this feeling >>> pic.twitter.com/ysiAPRJcRP
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) April 13, 2024
Wildly enough, he'll only get better.
NBA PLAYOFF PICTURE: Updated standings, clinching scenarios ahead of season's final day
How Nuggets loss impacts battle for No. 1 seed with Thunder, Timberwolves
With Friday night's loss, Denver falls back into a three-way tie with Oklahoma City and Minnesota, each of which moved to 56-25 on the season with wins in their respective games.
The three-way tie triggers a specific set of tiebreakers that do not benefit the Nuggets.
Because Denver, OKC and Minnesota are all in the Northwest Division, the three-way tiebreaker is determined by a composite head-to-head record among the three teams. Here's how that shakes out:
- Thunder: 5-3 vs. Nuggets and Timberwolves
- Timberwolves: 4-4 vs. Nuggets and Thunder
- Nuggets: 3-5 vs. Thunder and Timberwolves
In the event of a three-way tie in the standings, the Thunder would finish with the No. 1 seed, the Timberwolves would finish with the No. 2 seed and the Nuggets would finish with the No. 3 seed.
Here's a look at the standings and each of the three team's final games:
| Seed | Team | Record | GB |
| 1. | Thunder | 56-25 | — |
| 2. | Timberwolves | 56-25 | — |
| 3. | Nuggets | 56-25 | — |
This is the first time in league history that three teams have the same record and a chance to capture the No. 1 seed through 81 games, according to the NBA.
April 14 NBA schedule for Nuggets, Thunder and Timberwolves
All 30 NBA teams will be in action on the final day of the 2023-24 regular season. The Nuggets, Timberwolves and Thunder each play at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Denver visits Memphis, which has already been eliminated from playoff contention. Oklahoma City hosts Dallas, which is locked into the West's fifth seed. Minnesota will host Phoenix, which could still be jockeying for a position in the standings.
| Game | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| Nuggets at Grizzlies | 3:30 p.m. | — |
| Suns at Timberwolves | 3:30 p.m. | — |
| Mavericks at Thunder | 3:30 p.m. | — |
