The Western Conference finals are now a best-of-three series after the San Antonio Spurs delivered a dominant response Sunday night, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-82 in Game 4 to even the series at 2-2.
After being overwhelmed in Game 3, San Antonio answered with its most complete performance of the postseason, led by another brilliant outing from Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs star finished with 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks, setting the tone on both ends of the floor as San Antonio held Oklahoma City to its second-lowest scoring output of the playoffs.
Wembanyama admitted after Friday’s 123-108 loss that he needed to elevate his game to better support his teammates. The 7-foot-4 sensation from France backed up those words emphatically, controlling the paint defensively while igniting the Spurs offense throughout the night.
De’Aaron Fox added 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for San Antonio, while Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell each scored 13 points. The Spurs also received a much-needed lift from their bench after being outscored 76-23 in reserve points in Game 3. San Antonio’s second unit responded with 30 points Sunday while limiting Oklahoma City’s reserves to 34.
The Spurs wasted no time taking control. Two nights after opening Game 3 on a 15-0 run before collapsing, San Antonio once again stormed out quickly — this time never letting the Thunder recover.
Following a blocked layup attempt by Oklahoma City rookie Jared McCain, Vassell lofted an alley-oop pass to Wembanyama for a thunderous dunk during a 16-0 run that stretched the lead to 23-8 midway through the first quarter. The Spurs recorded assists on all 10 of their made field goals in the opening period, showcasing the ball movement and energy that had been missing in Game 3.
San Antonio’s defensive pressure was relentless from the opening tip. The Spurs held Oklahoma City to just 33% shooting from the field and an ice-cold 6-for-33 from beyond the arc. The Thunder managed only 38 first-half points, tying their second-lowest scoring half over the past four regular seasons and postseasons combined.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 19 points for Oklahoma City but shot just 6-for-15 from the floor as the Thunder never found an offensive rhythm. Oklahoma City has struggled in low-scoring games in recent years and fell to 2-9 over the last five seasons when scoring fewer than 40 points in a half.
The victory also continued one of San Antonio’s most impressive trends this season — the Spurs still have not lost three consecutive games all year.
Now tied 2-2, the series shifts back to Oklahoma City for a pivotal Game 5 on Tuesday night before returning to San Antonio for Game 6 on Thursday.
