NBA tipoff: Round 2 continues Wednesday with Cavaliers-Pistons

Victor Wembanyama did not get ejected from San Antonio’s game on Tuesday night.

In a related note, the Spurs won.

San Antonio took a 3-2 lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves with a dominant 126-97 win in Game 5 of their second-round series, putting the Spurs one victory away from a Western Conference finals showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are 8-0 so far in these playoffs.

Wembanyama had 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in the Spurs’ win.

The Timberwolves are down but not out. They’ve been a resilient bunch in these playoffs and get to host Game 6 on Friday.

Wednesday’s schedule

— Game 5, Cleveland at Detroit, 8 p.m. EDT (ESPN)

Series: Tied, 2-2.

Odds: Detroit by 4.5.

Home teams are 4-0 in this series, and the Pistons need to continue that trend. Everyone knows Game 5 in a tied series is a swing game, but the Pistons — who fended off elimination three times in the Round 1 win over Orlando — are used to playing amid pressure.

Thursday’s schedule

— No games scheduled.

Tuesday’s recap

— Spurs 126, Timberwolves 97. Wembanyama atoned for his Game 4 ejection.

Sad day in the NBA

The NBA had a rough day on Tuesday — mourning the death of Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke and the death of former player Jason Collins, who was the league’s first openly gay player.

Clarke, 29, was found dead Monday at a home in the Los Angeles area and emergency personnel who responded to the scene found drug paraphernalia in the home, according to a person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because those details were not released publicly.

Collins, 47, died after an eight-month battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer.

Awards watch

A breakdown of this season’s NBA awards:

— Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year: DeAndre Jordan, New Orleans.

— Hustle Award: Moussa Diabaté, Charlotte.

— Defensive Player of the Year: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio.

— Clutch Player of the Year: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City.

— Sixth Man of the Year: Keldon Johnson, San Antonio.

— Sportsmanship Award: Derrick White, Boston.

— Most Improved Player: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Atlanta.

— Rookie of the Year: Cooper Flagg, Dallas.

— Executive of the Year: Brad Stevens, Boston.

Among the announcements still to come:

— Most Valuable Player: Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama or Denver’s Nikola Jokic.

— Coach of the Year: Johnson, Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff, or Boston’s Joe Mazzulla.

Betting odds

Defending champion Oklahoma City (-165) is favored to win the NBA title, according to oddsmakers.

The Thunder are followed by San Antonio (+300), New York (+650), Detroit (+2500), Cleveland (+5000) and Minnesota (+12500).

Key dates

— Through Sunday: NBA draft combine.

— May 17 or 19: Eastern Conference finals begin on ESPN and ABC.

— May 18 or 20: Western Conference finals begin on NBC and Peacock.

— June 3: Game 1, NBA Finals on ABC. (Other finals dates: June 5, June 8, June 10, June 13, June 16 and June 19).

— June 23: Round 1, NBA draft.

— June 24: Round 2, NBA draft.

Quote of the day

“I feel like we got the Vic that you’ve seen all year,” Spurs guard Stephon Castle said after Wembanyama’s bounce-back performance. “I think his maturity level was off the charts. I mean, he played smart, didn’t really foul much, took the shots that were there for him.”

Stat of the day

Wembanyama (22 years, 128 days) became the third-youngest player in league history with 25 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in a postseason game behind Magic Johnson (20 years, 276 days) and Luka Doncic (21 years, 177 days).

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba