The conventional wisdom around the NBA is that Oklahoma City is the present, while San Antonio is the future.

Victor Wembanyama has other ideas.

In his return after missing a dozen games with a calf strain, Wembanyama scored 22 points, grabbed nine rebounds and was +21 in 22 minutes of play, sparking the Spurs to a dramatic win and ending the Thunder’s 16-game winning streak in one of the best games of the season.

San Antonio has advanced and will take on New York in the Emirates NBA Cup championship game on Tuesday in Las Vegas.

It wasn’t just Wembanyama; it was the Spurs guards — who lifted the team to a 9-3 record while Wemby was out — who stepped up. De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle each also had 22 points. All of them, including Wemby, came through in the clutch against the defendi

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