Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs dominate Oklahoma City Thunder to force Game 7 in NBA play-offs
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder driving against the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama during the Spurs' 118-91 win in Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference Finals on May 28.
PHOTO: AFP
SAN ANTONIO – After a disappointing Game 5 loss in the NBA Western Conference finals, San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said his team needed more from star man Victor Wembanyama.
Two days later, the Frenchman appeared in his first play-off elimination game, and he came through.
The 22-year-old set the tone from the beginning, helping the Spurs build a lead they never relinquished as they beat the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder 118-91 on May 28 to even the best-of-seven series at 3-3.
The teams will meet in Game 7 on May 30 (May 31, Singapore time) in Oklahoma City, with the winners advancing to face the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals.
“His passion and desire for being right where he is and at the forefront of it all, and to take the responsibility and the role and the burden of what he does – I don’t know what else to say,” Johnson said of Wembanyama.
“He’s comfortable with that, regardless of the outcome and what it may look like.”
Wembanyama finished with 28 points on 10-of-21 shooting, adding 10 rebounds and three blocks.
The Thunder had cut what was a 15-point second-quarter deficit to five just before half-time, and San Antonio took a seven-point lead into the break.
Four minutes into the third quarter, the Spurs started a game-defining 20-0 run that sealed the victory.
“We had a chance to turn the game, but you’ve got to turn the game,” Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said. “You can’t wait for the game to turn, and they came out and obviously threw a great punch to start the third and got the game out of reach.”
While Wembanyama came up big, Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled yet again. He finished with just 15 points, on six-of-18 shooting, and four assists.
It was the Canadian’s lowest scoring output since he had 14 points in Game 3 of the 2025 West Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He is shooting just 37.9 per cent from the floor in the series after making 51.4 per cent of his field-goal attempts over the first two rounds of these play-offs.
“I’m not sure, to be honest,” the 27-year-old said of the reasons for his struggles. “A lot of the shots that I’m shooting, I shot plenty of times before. They feel good, and it’s not good.”
He added: “They were the aggressors tonight from start to finish. They played harder than us, hit more shots, were more aggressive, were in attack mode. We were on our heels.” REUTERS
