NBA Playoffs: San Antonio Spurs beat Minnesota Timberwolves to reach Western Conference Finals

The Stephen Castle-starring San Antonio Spurs sealed their spot in the Western Conference Finals with a 139-109 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Castle led the way with 32 points, while Victor Wembanyama added 19, as the Spurs won the series 4-2 and set up a heavyweight matchup against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Spurs met the Thunder – the reigning NBA champions – five times in the regular season and finished with a 4-1 record against them.

A repeat of the seven-game Western Finals would clinch the Spurs a spot in the NBA Finals.

“We’re not thinking about it right now,” Cassel said after Friday’s win over the Timberwolves.

“The next few games are a whole different game. They’re rolling right now. They’ve won eight in a row.

“It will be tough to knock them off, but we’re pretty confident we can do it.”

Elsewhere, the Detroit Pistons defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-94 to tie their series and set a final game seven.

Cade Cunningham scored 21 points, while Paul Reed and Jalen Duren added 17 and 15, respectively, as the top-seeded Pistons forced a decider for the second straight playoff round.

Detroit trailed the Orlando Magic 3-1 in the previous round and won three straight to take a 4-3 series lead.

The Pistons host the Cavaliers in Detroit on Sunday to determine who will face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.