Two games, two clear away victories: The Spurs follow OKC into the Western showdown. Who will face the Knicks in the East, however, remains open.
In the end, the Minnesota Timberwolves were no match for the San Antonio Spurs. Game 6 was as one-sided as it gets, though not primarily due to Victor Wembanyama. In Cleveland, the visitors also dominated. The Detroit Pistons once again proved their comeback abilities.
Minnesota Timberwolves (W6) — San Antonio Spurs (W2) 109:139 — Series: 2-4
Led by a dominant backcourt, the Spurs advance to the highly anticipated Western Conference Finals against defending champions Oklahoma City Thunder, who have cruised comfortably through the postseason with two sweeps so far.
Stephon Castle with 32 points and De’Aaron Fox with 21 were the top scorers for the visitors. Victor Wembanyama had a tough offensive night, scoring «only» 19 points, but was his usual defensive monster, making it a very uncomfortable evening for the T-Wolves on their home court. Highly touted prospect Dylan Harper added an efficient 15 points (6/8 FG) off the bench.
While Wemby could be somewhat contained by the home team, the shooting of the Spurs guards made the significant difference. Castle (plus: 11 rebounds, 6 assists) hit his first 5 three-point attempts. Fox (plus: 9 assists) shot 8 of 10 from the field and made all three of his downtown attempts. Justin Champagnie added four threes. As a team, the Spurs grabbed more than double the rebounds of the Timberwolves (60:29) and had countless opportunities to score in transition.
Anthony Edwards was the top scorer for the Timberwolves with 26 points. The team had eliminated the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic in the first round of the playoffs. While the rest of the host’s starting five combined for only 16 (!) points, Terrence Shannon Jr. with 21 and Naz Reed with 18 points impressed off the bench.
The T-Wolves never held a lead throughout the entire game, while the Spurs even pulled ahead by 37 points at one point. After a 20-0 run at the beginning of the second quarter, the visitors effectively sealed the game early on.
Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals is scheduled for early Tuesday morning in Oklahoma City (2:30 AM).
Cleveland Cavaliers (E4) — Detroit Pistons (E1) 94:115 — Series: 3:3
The Pistons remain arguably the most resilient team of this year’s playoffs, as they coolly fended off their fourth match point. More than that, their 21-point victory was the largest away win in NBA Playoffs history when trailing 2-3. The St. Louis Hawks achieved a similar feat against the Minneapolis Lakers in 1960.
«We did what needed to be done,» said Detroit Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff. «When we’re at our best, defense and physicality carry us.»
Cade Cunningham led the Pistons as usual. The point guard scored 21 points and dished out 8 assists in 42 minutes, but also committed 7 turnovers. However, Cunningham received plenty of scoring support: Paul Reed added 17 points in just 16 minutes off the bench, Daniss Jenkins scored 15 points, as did Jalen Duren, who had been heavily criticized recently. Detroit’s center also grabbed 11 rebounds, including 4 offensive boards, had 3 blocks, and committed no turnovers. Tobias Harris, who had been too dangerous in the playoffs so far, had his by far most inconspicuous game of the series (6 points).
«It was a collective team effort, and we needed every bit of it. Great win!» said Cunningham, who sank 5 three-pointers on 10 attempts.
While the first half was completely even, the Pistons gradually pulled away after the break. The Cavs recovered from an initial run by the guests and narrowed a 13-point deficit to 68:74 in the third quarter, but Detroit responded with a 13:2 run and led 87:70 at the start of the final period. Cleveland never got closer than James Harden’s three-pointer to make it 85:96.
Turnovers, forced by Detroit’s aggressive defense or unforced errors by the Cavs, were key to the decisive result. The Pistons scored 28 points off 20 opponent turnovers and converted 13 offensive rebounds into 20 points.
Harden contributed 23 points, while Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley each had 18 for Cleveland. This was the Cavaliers’ first home loss of the postseason.
«We never really found second gear,» said Harden. «Or third and fourth. We never had the right flow on either end of the court. It’s frustrating.»
Mitchell added self-critically: «It starts with us starters. We got punched in the face, but we never really punched back.»
Dennis Schröder played 15 minutes but remained scoreless, shooting 0 of 4 from the field.
Game 7 will take place early Monday morning (2 AM) in Detroit. The winner will await the New York Knicks in the Western Conference Finals after their sweep of Philadelphia.
NBA Playoffs 2026: Round 2 Series
| Conference | Matchup | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Western | Thunder (1) — Lakers (4) | 4-0 |
| Western | Spurs (2) — Timberwolves (6) | 4-2 |
| Eastern | Pistons (1) — Cavaliers (4) | 3-3 |
| Eastern | Knicks (3) — Sixers (7) | 4-0 |