The Spurs tied up the Western Conference Finals at 2-2 after a dominant win Sunday. Can they win their second straight to put the Thunder on the brink?
SAN ANTONIO — In an absolute domination of the defending champs, the San Antonio Spurs have tied the Western Conference Finals up at 2-2 going back to Oklahoma City.
Victor Wembanyama, who was named to his first All-NBA First Team before Game 4 tipped off, had himself a game. He scored 33 points in 31 minutes, shooting 11-of-22 from the field and 3-of-7 from 3-point range. He also added eight rebounds and five assists.
In addition, the 22-year-old Frenchman looked a lot more aggressive from the jump, finding his shot early and propelling the Spurs’ offense.
Oh yeah, and the 7-foot-4 center also hit a half-court shot as the second quarter expired with relative ease.
De’Aaron Fox (12 points, 10 rebounds, five assists), Devin Vassell (13 points) and Stephon Castle (13 points and six assists) also played well for the Spurs, providing timely buckets and solid defense.
They also limited their turnovers, only giving the ball up 12 times after coughing it up an average of 18 times thus far in the series. Castle had his second game in a row where he only turned the ball over once, while Fox didn’t turn the ball over at all.
But the real story was San Antonio’s defense.
The Spurs allowed just 82 points to the Thunder on Sunday—the fewest Oklahoma City has scored in five seasons, regular season or playoffs. On the last occasion, it was a game which they entered 6-16 and lost by an NBA-record 73 points.
To put it in perspective, the Thunder’s bench alone scored 76 points in Game 3. The bench in Game 4 gave them 34 points; still solid, but not as productive as they had been so far in the Western Conference Finals.
That’s especially true of Alex Caruso, who had been lighting it up this series. He shot just once in Game 4 and finished with zero points. Jaylin Williams went 1-of-7 from the field, Aaron Wiggins went 2-of-11 and Jared McCain went 1-for-10 The hot shooting OKC had become accustomed to from the bench cooled off in a big way.
“This whole game, we played fast the whole time,” Vassell said afterward. “We didn’t let them set their defense. We were getting downhill. And we were either finishing in the paint or getting good looks.”
Oklahoma City shot just 33% overall from the field, their lowest mark all year. It was truly a defensive masterclass by San Antonio, which also forced 20 turnovers. The Thunder were also without Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, two of their most important ball handlers.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored just 19 points, his second-lowest total this postseason, while shooting 6-of-15. Nobody on Oklahoma City scored more than 20 points. Isaiah Hartenstein, after a scorching start to the game, finished with 12. Chet Holmgren scored 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting.
As head coach Mitch Johnson put it, the Spurs were able to rediscover the gritty identity that saw them finishing the season second in the NBA in defensive rating.
“Anytime we can turn defense into offense – that’s turnovers, that’s rebounding – that’s when we’re at our best,” Johnson said. “We can get out and run and play in space and momentum and share the ball, and we did that tonight.”
With their backs against the wall, the Spurs were able to dig out of the 2-1 hole they found themselves in and go into Oklahoma City with momentum on their side.
Can the Silver & Black take a 3-2 lead?
How to watch
The game will be televised on NBC at 7:30 p.m. and streamed on Peacock. You can also listen to game action on WOAI 1200 and KXTN 1350.
Team stats leaders (playoffs)
- POINTS: Victor Wembanyama (23.1), Stephon Castle (19.2), De’Aaron Fox (18.0)
- REBOUNDS: Wembanyama (11.4), Julian Champagnie (5.6), Dylan Harper (5.1)
- ASSISTS: Castle (6.6), Fox (5.8), Wembanyama (2.9)
- BLOCKS: Wembanyama (3.8), Luke Kornet (1.0), Devin Vassell (0.9)
- POINTS: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (27.7), Jalen Williams* (17.8), Chet Holmgren (16.2)
- REBOUNDS: Isaiah Hartenstein (8.3), Holmgren (8.1), Williams* (4.0)
- ASSISTS: Gilgeous-Alexander (8.1), Mitchell (4.3), Williams* (3.3)
- BLOCKS: Holmgren (1.4), Gilgeous-Alexander (0.9), Hartenstein (0.8)
Injury report
As of 4 p.m. Monday, here’s where the team’s respective injury reports stack up:
- Nobody listed.
- Jalen Williams – Questionable (left hamstring)
- Ajay Mitchell – Questionable (calf)
- Thomas Sorber – Out (ACL)