Victor Wembanyama scores 33 as Spurs dominate Thunder in Game 4 to even Western Conference Finals
The San Antonio Spurs delivered a commanding performance on Sunday night, routing the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-82 to even the Western Conference Finals at two games apiece.
The victory sets up a pivotal Game 5 on Tuesday night at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, with the winner gaining the upper hand heading into a potential deciding Game 6.
After the Thunder leaned heavily on their perimeter shooting to seize Game 3, San Antonio made defensive adjustments that completely disrupted Oklahoma City's offensive rhythm. The Thunder connected on just 6 of 33 attempts from three-point range, a dismal 18 percent clip, and finished the night shooting only 33 percent from the field overall.
The Spurs' own shooting numbers were far from spectacular. They went 9 of 33 from beyond the arc, a 27 percent mark, and shot 39 percent from the field as a team. But San Antonio's aggressiveness gave them a decided edge at the free-throw line, where they attempted 32 foul shots compared to just 18 for Oklahoma City.
The tone was set early. San Antonio opened with a nine-point advantage after the first quarter and extended it to double digits by halftime. In the third quarter, Oklahoma City's shooting woes deepened as turnovers began to pile up, and the Spurs capitalized relentlessly. San Antonio scored 25 points off 20 Thunder turnovers, and the Spurs found additional success in transition.
At one point, the Spurs' lead ballooned to 25 points, allowing them to rest their starters down the stretch in front of their home crowd.
Victor Wembanyama returned to the dominant form that has defined his playoff run, leading San Antonio with 33 points on 11-of-22 shooting. He knocked down three three-pointers, pulled in eight rebounds, dished out five assists and swatted three shots on the defensive end.
The supporting cast stepped up around him. Stephon Castle added 13 points, three rebounds and six assists. Devin Vassell chipped in 13 points, six rebounds and three assists. De'Aaron Fox posted a near double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Six Spurs reserves scored in the win, with Dylan Harper contributing seven points and five rebounds off the bench.
For the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled with his shot, hitting just 6 of 15 field goal attempts. He remained perfect at the line, going 7 for 7 from the stripe, and finished with four rebounds, seven assists and four turnovers.
Oklahoma City's bench, which had been a key factor in their Game 3 victory, failed to deliver at the same level. Aaron Wiggins and Jared McCain, who played pivotal roles in the Thunder's previous win, shot a combined 3 of 21 from the field and scored just eight points between them.
The series now shifts to Oklahoma City, where the two top seeds in the Western Conference will face off Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. ET in a game that will leave one team one win away from the NBA Finals.
