SAN ANTONIO — Victor Wembanyama drained a 40-foot buzzer-beater to close the first half and finished with 33 points, driving the San Antonio Spurs to a 103–82 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, squaring the Western Conference finals at two games apiece.
The rookie’s long heave was the longest made field goal by a Spurs player in the postseason since GeniusIQ began tracking in 2014. Wembanyama added eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks, and his 324 points now stand as the most by any Spur in a debut postseason, surpassing Stephen Jackson’s 307 from 2003.
Wembanyama’s overall playoff line — more than 300 points, 150 rebounds and 50 blocks — places him alongside Bill Walton (1977) as the only players to reach those benchmarks in their first postseason since blocks became an official statistic in 1974.
“I was just thinking shoot to score,” Wembanyama said after the win. “We needed to start fast.”
Fast start, firm response
San Antonio bolted to a 17–8 lead behind Wembanyama’s early burst, including a 27-footer 24 seconds into play and a block of Chet Holmgren’s two-handed dunk attempt one minute later. The Spurs logged assists on all 10 of their first-quarter field goals and held Oklahoma City scoreless for more than five minutes while building a 25-point cushion.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson credited the aggressive opening. “Our competitive response all year has been pretty good, and he’s been at the forefront of that,” Johnson said of Wembanyama.
The approach followed a 36-point Game 3 defeat that prompted former head coach Gregg Popovich to address the locker room for the first time this season. Guard De’Aaron Fox said the message was clear: match Oklahoma City’s physicality and do it from the opening tip. “Even if we lost, as long as we came in with the right mentality, we could be OK with it,” Fox noted.
Defense locks in on SGA
San Antonio deployed multiple defenders on two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, limiting him to 19 points on 6-of-15 shooting. Stephon Castle handled the bulk of the assignment, rotating with Fox, rookie Dylan Harper, Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie, while Wembanyama and Harrison Barnes provided timely help. Oklahoma City finished 1-for-11 from three-point range in the first half, only the second time this season the Thunder had one or fewer triples in any half.
“If I set the tone in the backcourt, my teammates are more likely to guard with the same physicality,” Castle said.
Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
Source: ESPN
