San Antonio Spurs thrashed Oklahoma City Thunder 118-91 to level the series at 3-3 and send the West Conference finals to Sunday’s deciding game.
Victor Wembanyama starred with 28 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks to give the Spurs an opportunity to reach their first NBA finals since 2014, with the New York Knicks waiting in the final.
Wembanyama and the Spurs responded to a listless 127-114 loss in Game 5 on Tuesday night with their most energised outing of this see-saw series.
“[Playing with desperation] just feels like it erases kind of all the little mistakes that we do that are human nature, whether it’s in the regular season or previous games,” said Wembanyama.
“Just got to fight that all the time and put your backs against the wall. It feels like it’s the best opportunity to be able to play.”
Dylan Harper had 18 points, Stephon Castle added 17 and Devin Vassell had 12 points and two thunderous blocks for San Antonio.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was limited to a team-high 15 points on 6-for-18 shooting for defending champion Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drives against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
“I just think all of our focus and attention was on the defensive end. I don’t think scoring against them has been a problem for us,” said Castle.
“I think just our self-inflicted mistakes, like turnovers and allowing them to get offensive rebounds and easy buckets is what slows us down.”
The Thunder were scoreless for eight minutes in the third as the Spurs ran off 22 straight points to make it 92-64 with 56 seconds left in the quarter.
The average margin of victory has been 15.3 points, with the Spurs winning by an average of 18.3 points.
San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle played a key role (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Wembanyama has been at the forefront of all three victories. The 7ft 4in star joined Hall of Famers David Robinson and Tim Duncan as the only players in franchise history with five games of 25 points and 10 rebounds in a single postseason.
He made his first two shots – both three-pointers – and blocked Gilgeous-Alexander’s layup in the first 1:27 as San Antonio took a 9-2 lead.
“I think we were consistent and we did what we needed to do. Trusted the game, trusted the basketball gods,” said Wembanyama, who had 11 points, five rebounds an assist and a block in the opening quarter alone.
The series remained physical and contentious, with the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren jawing with and bumping into Vassell after the Spurs’ wing blocked the seven-footer’s dunk attempt in the second quarter.
Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams returned after reinjuring his hamstring in Game 2 and missing the next three games. Williams was limited to one point on 0-for-1 shooting in 10 minutes.
Watch the conclusion of the West Conference Finals in the early hours of Sunday morning from midnight, live on Sky Sports+. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
