NBA: Wembanyama puts on a show, Spurs dominate the Thunder and force Game 7

After the disappointing loss in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said he needed more from Victor Wembanyama.

Two days later, the star responded in style in his first elimination game in the playoffs.

Wembanyama led the Spurs from the start and helped the team build a lead that was no longer threatened in the 118-91 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, this Thursday (28), tying the best-of-seven series at 3-3.

The teams will play Game 7 on Saturday in Oklahoma City. The winner will face the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals.

"His passion and desire to be exactly where he is, taking the front line, the responsibility and the weight of what he does... I don't know what else to say," Johnson said about Wembanyama.

"He's comfortable with it regardless of the outcome."

The Frenchman finished the game with 28 points, converting 10 of 21 shots attempted, in addition to ten rebounds and three blocked shots.

Even so, it was during a period in which Wembanyama was on the bench that Spurs defined the confrontation.

The game
The Thunder were still trailing by just ten points when the center left the court with 7:39 left in the third quarter. For much of the series, Oklahoma City had managed to control games just when Wembanyama was resting.

This time, however, San Antonio completely dominated. The team scored 11 consecutive points with the star off the court. The sequence was part of a 20-0 run that all but won the victory before the end of the third period.

"I think all of our focus was on defense," guard Stephon Castle said of the defining moment. "When we are focused defensively, we can stop the opponent, run and have easy shots. This simplifies the game for us."

Luke Kornet, who replaced Wembanyama, played an important role in Spurs' defensive performance during the sequence in which the Thunder missed 14 shots in a row.

"Luke's communication, physicality and positioning were probably the best of the series," Castle said of Kornet, who finished with three points and five rebounds in 13 minutes.

The Thunder reduced a 15-point deficit in the second quarter to just five before halftime, but the Spurs went to rest winning by seven.

Four minutes into the third quarter, San Antonio began the game-changing run.

"We had a chance to turn the game around, but you really have to turn the game around. You can't wait for the game to change on its own. They came back very strong in the third quarter and took away any chance of a reaction," said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault.

Wembanyama makes history and is elected defender of the year with 100% of the votes

Unlike Wembanyama...
While Wembanyama shone, Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled again. The Canadian finished with just 15 points, making six of 18 shots, as well as four assists.

It was Gilgeous-Alexander's lowest score since scoring 14 points in Game 3 of the 2025 West Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The point guard converts just 37.9% of his shots in the series, after shooting 51.4% in the first two rounds of this year's playoffs.

"To be honest, I don't know how to explain it," said Gilgeous-Alexander about the bad form. "A lot of the shots I'm trying I've made several times before. They look good, but they're not falling."

In the first 90 seconds of the match, Wembanyama hit two three-pointers and also blocked an attempt by Jared McCain close to the basket.

The aggressive start already indicated a very different stance than that presented in the 127-114 defeat in Game 5.

"They were the most aggressive from start to finish. They played with more intensity, took more shots and attacked all the time. We were cornered," admitted Gilgeous-Alexander.

Castle finished with 17 points, nine assists and just one waste of the ball. After committing 20 turnovers in the first two games of the series, the point guard has lost possession just six times in the last four games.

Dylan Harper added 18 points off the bench, helping the Spurs reserves overcome the Thunder for the first time in the series: 46-38.

Jared McCain scored 13 points for Oklahoma City, while Chet Holmgren had ten points and 11 rebounds.

Oklahoma City also had the return of Jalen Williams, who missed the team's previous three games due to a hamstring injury. However, he only played for ten minutes and scored one point.

It was the first time since December 10, 2022, still in his debut season, that Williams came off the bench.

"It was a unique situation. Since he got injured, he was completely focused on trying to get back to this moment," Daigneault said.

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Source: CNN