The 12th and final matchup between the Spurs and Thunder this season will decide who represents the Western Conference against the Knicks in the 2026 NBA Finals.
SAN ANTONIO — The best two words in sports: Game 7.
The San Antonio Spurs forced a winner-take-all matchup after a thorough 118-91 domination of the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6.
The final game will also mark the 12th meeting of the season between the two 60-win teams, one of the most meetings between two NBA teams in a single season in the modern era.
Of the previous 11 meetings, San Antonio has won seven.
And when the Spurs win, they tend to win big, by an average of 14.6 points.
The same can be said for Oklahoma City. The Thunder’s four victories have come by an average of 14.5 points.
So San Antonio has the edge… by 0.1 points.
Speaking of winning big, the largest victory so far came in Game 6, as San Antonio won by 27 points in a game where the Silver & Black never allowed Oklahoma City to sniff the lead.
Victor Wembanyama started off hot and never looked back, totaling 28 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks on 10-of-21 shooting from the field and 4-of-9 shooting from 3-point range.
Stephon Castle had another strong game, scoring 17 points and dishing out nine assists. Dylan Harper added 18 off the bench and Devin Vassell (12 points) and Julian Champagnie (10 points) hit some timely threes.
The Spurs shot 46.6% from the field (compared to OKC’s 37.2%) and 36.6% from 3 on 15-of-41 shooting. They won the rebounding battle (52 to 42) and the assist battle (30 to 22).
Oklahoma City’s side wasn’t as positive.
The two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had his worst game of the playoffs, scoring just 15 points on 6-of-18 shooting, 0-of-5 from 3-point range.
Before we talk about the rest of the Thunder, let’s talk about SGA really quick.
Since winning his second MVP Award before Game 1 in front of third-place finisher Wemby, the Canadian has averaged 24.3 points, 8.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds on 37.9% shooting and 26.1% from 3-point range.
Those are good stats for most players, but when you remember SGA averaged 31.1 points, 6.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds on 55.3% shooting and 38.6% from 3-point range, you start to notice a huge dropoff.
And a lot of that has to do with the defense of Stephon Castle, who has done a fantastic job slowing down Gilgeous-Alexander as much as he can.
Wemby’s stats since he witnessed Shai win the MVP Award in person? 28.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 3.3 assists on 48.2% shooting and 37.1% from 3-point range.
Again, he’s doing all this at age 22.
Getting back to the rest of Oklahoma City, they didn’t help SGA that much either, as his 15 led the team.
Jared McCain had 13 on 4-of-11 shooting, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein both scored 10 on 50% shooting and Cason Wallace had 11.
Beyond that, Oklahoma City struggled to find consistent offense, as they got blown out for the second straight time at the Frost Bank Center.
With Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell both ruled out for Game 7, it could be another struggle for Oklahoma City.
Game 7 stats
San Antonio now goes into Oklahoma City with all the momentum, but history says the Thunder have the advantage, as the home team wins Game 7 73% of the time.
However, in Game 7s in these playoffs, the road teams are 2-2.
The Spurs all-time are 4-7 in Game 7s and 1-5 on the road. Their most recent Game 7 was in the first round of 2019 when they lost to the Denver Nuggets.
The Thunder, on the other hand, are 8-5 all-time and 8-1 at home. Their most recent Game 7 was the NBA Finals last year where they beat the Indiana Pacers.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has played in three Game 7’s in his career, averaging 27.7 points, 6.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds.
OKC has also won the last two games of the series at home by nine and 13. Home court advantage has proved to be important from Game 4 on in this series.
The Spurs also look to make their first NBA Finals since 2014 when they lost to the Miami Heat. Wemby was 10, Stephon Castle was nine and Dylan Harper was eight.
A lot at stake in this Game 7 that everyone will have their eyes on.
How to watch
The game will be televised on NBC on Saturday at 7 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 (23.3), Stephon Castle (19.4), De’Aaron Fox (16.5)
- REBOUNDS: Wembanyama (11.0), Julian Champagnie (5.8), Dylan Harper (5.2)
- ASSISTS: Castle (6.7), Fox (6.0), Wembanyama (2.8)
- BLOCKS: Wembanyama (3.7), Luke Kornet (0.9), Devin Vassell (0.9)
- POINTS: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (27.1), Chet Holmgren (15.7), Ajay Mitchell* (15.1)
- REBOUNDS: Isaiah Hartenstein (8.6), Holmgren (8.5), Mitchell* (3.7)
- ASSISTS: Gilgeous-Alexander (7.9), Ajay Mitchell* (4.3), Williams* (2.8)
- BLOCKS: Holmgren (1.4), Gilgeous-Alexander (0.9), Hartenstein (0.7)
Injury report
As of 4:30 p.m. Friday, here’s where the team’s respective injury reports stack up:
- Nobody listed.
- Jalen Williams – Out (left hamstring)
- Ajay Mitchell – Out (right soleus)
- Thomas Sorber – Out (ACL)