The Oklahoma City Thunder can move within one win of the NBA Finals when they meet the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Sunday night, May 24, 2026.
History favors the team that goes up 3–1. According to ESPN Research, clubs holding that advantage have advanced 95% of the time. Only five teams have erased a 3–1 deficit in either the conference finals or the NBA Finals; the most recent was the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 Finals.
Oklahoma City seized a 2–1 series lead with a 123–108 victory in Game 3, powered by 76 points from its bench—the highest total by a reserve unit in a conference finals or NBA Finals contest since starters began being officially tracked in 1971.
Head coach Mark Daigneault will again shuffle his backcourt. Guard Ajay Mitchell is out with a right soleus strain, and Jalen Williams remains sidelined by a hamstring injury after missing Game 3. Mitchell, who replaced Williams in the starting lineup, logged just 17 minutes in the previous matchup before exiting.
San Antonio enters Game 4 with a clear injury report. Guards De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper, previously listed earlier in the series, are available; they combined for 19 points in Game 3. A persistent concern for the Spurs has been their performance without star center Victor Wembanyama. Through three games, San Antonio is plus-21 in 125 minutes with Wembanyama on the floor but minus-38 in 29 minutes when he rests—the steepest on-off swing for either team.
Tipoff at Frost Bank Center is set for 8:50 p.m. ET. The winner will head to Oklahoma City for Tuesday’s Game 5 with a decided momentum shift on the line.
Source: ESPN
