Victor Wembanyama delivered a dominant second-half performance on Saturday, hitting the go-ahead jumper with 1:33 remaining and sealing the San Antonio Spurs’ 100-95 victory over the Boston Celtics.

The French star, who continues to come off the bench as the Spurs gradually reintegrate him following a knee injury, scored 16 of his 21 points after halftime, adding six rebounds and three blocks.

“My mindset was just, I have to close out the game,” Wembanyama said of his clutch shots, adding that the win reflected the Spurs’ resilience. “It felt like they were playing better basketball than us, but we stayed in there.”

De’Aaron Fox led San Antonio with 21 points, while Keldon Johnson contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds as the Spurs kicked off a three-game road trip with a victory in a clash of East and West second-place teams.

For Boston, Derrick White scored 29 points with nine rebounds, and Jaylen Brown added 27 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, but the Celtics fell short in the final minutes.

Meanwhile, in Detroit, the Los Angeles Clippers mounted a furious comeback to down Eastern Conference-leading Pistons 98-92. Kawhi Leonard led the way with 26 points, and John Collins added 25 as the Clippers erased a 19-point first-half deficit, outscoring Detroit 30-16 in the fourth quarter. Collins’ free throws gave Los Angeles a 93-92 lead with two minutes left, and a James Harden assist to Ivica Zubac capped the win. The Pistons, missing Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Tobias Harris, and Isaiah Stewart, were led by Duncan Robinson’s 20 points.

Elsewhere, Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points and dished out eight assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied past the Minnesota Timberwolves 146-134, avenging a loss to the same team two nights earlier. Evan Mobley added 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting, Jaylon Tyson contributed 23 off the bench, and Darius Garland finished with 22 points. Sam Merrill also hit 5-of-6 three-pointers in his 20-point effort, while Jarrett Allen recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Minnesota was paced by Anthony Edwards with 25 points, Julius Randle with 22, and reserve Naz Reid’s 23 points, hitting 5-of-6 three-point attempts. The Cavaliers improved to 22-18, sixth in the Eastern Conference, while the Timberwolves slipped to 25-14, fourth in the Western Conference.