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• Wembanyama to miss Spurs' season finale due to ankle injury

  The San Antonio Spurs will be without Victor Wembanyama for their final game of the season on Sunday.

  San Antonio face the Detroit Pistons in their last fixture of the 2023-24 campaign.

  The Spurs have a 21-60 record on the season, and sit 14th in the Western Conference.

  Wembanyama has nevertheless enjoyed a fine rookie season in the NBA, having been selected as the No.1 overall pick in last year's Draft.

  The seven-foot-four French youngster will sit out against the Pistons due to an ankle injury, meaning he ends his rookie campaign with 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and an NBA-leading 3.6 blocks per game.

  Wembanyama has played 71 times for the Spurs, who he helped to overcome the Denver Nuggets on Friday, finishing with 34 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.

  After that game, the 20-year-old said: "As a growing team, a young team, it's big for us.

  "We're going to need these kind of wins in the future. We're going to need any win. But big-time wins against big teams, first seeds, we're going to need those in the future.

  "We've got the potential to be great. The fact that we have the chance to live this, with the fans, I can only hope it's as incredible as it can be."

  Wembanyama became the first rookie to accumulate 1,500 points, 250 assists and 250 blocks across the season, while he is only the fourth player in the history of the NBA to do so, after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson.

• NBA: Embiid returns from injury scare, scores 32 to lead streaking 76ers

  Joel Embiid shook off an apparent injury to finish with 32 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists and the Philadelphia 76ers extended their winning streak to seven with a 125-113 victory over the Orlando Magic on Friday.

  Embiid had 21 points, nine boards and seven assists in the first 17 minutes but appeared to land awkwardly on his left knee late in the first half. He limped to midcourt and gave up on the play.

  After coach Nick Nurse called timeout, Embiid went straight to the locker room. But he returned for the second half and promptly hit a 3-pointer on his first touch of the third quarter.

  Orlando, Indiana and Philadelphia are all 46-35 after the Pacers lost to Cleveland and are fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively, in the Eastern Conference.

  Franz Wagner scored 24 points and Paolo Banchero added 22 for Orlando, which dropped its third straight game. The Magic can win the Southeast Division with a victory over Milwaukee on Sunday.

  Spurs rally to stun Nuggets

  Devonte’ Graham scored on a floater in the lane with 0.9 seconds remaining and the San Antonio Spurs rallied from a 23-point deficit for a 121-120 win over the Denver Nuggets, who may have suffered a potentially damaging loss.

  The loss dropped Denver out of sole possession of first place in the Western Conference and into a tie with Minnesota and Oklahoma City. After tiebreakers, the Timberwolves are first, the Thunder and second and the Nuggets are third heading into the final day of the regular season on Sunday.

  Victor Wembanyama had 34 points and 12 rebounds for the West-worst Spurs, who trailed 76-53 early in the third quarter and were still down 17 early in the fourth.

  Jamal Murray scored 35 points and Nikola Jokić had 22 and 12 rebounds for the Nuggets, who close the regular season Sunday at Memphis.

  Thunder handle depleted Bucks

  Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 23 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder boosted their chances at capturing the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with a 125-107 win over the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks.

  Chet Holmgren had 22 points and nine rebounds and Aaron Wiggins added 19 points for the Thunder, who won their fourth straight and ended the night tied for the top seed in the West after Denver lost to San Antonio and Minnesota beat Atlanta.

  Milwaukee played without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo (strained left calf) and All-Star Damian Lillard (sore left adductor) and dropped into a tie with the Knicks for the No. 2 seed in the East. The Bucks can still finish second with a win at Orlando on Sunday or a New York loss to Chicago.

• No Holmgren tussle for Wembanyama as Spurs rest rookie for Thunder trip

  The San Antonio Spurs will rest Victor Wembanyama for Wednesday's road game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, denying him a clash with fellow Rookie of the Year contender Chet Holmgren.

  Wembanyama rolled his right ankle against the New Orleans Pelicans on April 5, having missed a game against the Phoenix Suns due to a left ankle sprain the previous month.

  Last year's number one draft pick has played 70 games this season, averaging 21.3 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists.

  With Wembanyama playing 31 minutes in Tuesday's 102-87 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, the Spurs are reportedly being cautious over his condition on the second leg of a back-to-back.

  After Tuesday's game, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said of Wembanyama's involvement: "We're going to talk it out. It's a question because we've held him out a lot of the back-to-backs. 

  "Once when he had that foot thing and now down the stretch, I'm not sure it makes much sense to push it."

  Popovich's decision to hold Wembanyama back means fans will be denied a meeting between the likely top two in the Rookie of the Year race, with Holmgren looking to maintain his record of appearing in every game for the Thunder this year. 

  Wembanyama is expected to return to the court on Friday, when San Antonio host the Denver Nuggets in their penultimate game of the season.