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The San Antonio Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-91 to tie the series 3-3 and send them to the Western Conference finals in Sunday’s deciding game.
Victor Wembanyama had 28 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks to help the Spurs reach their first NBA Finals since 2014, with the New York Knicks looking forward to the Finals.
Wembanyama and the Spurs responded to a listless 127-114 loss in Game 5 on Tuesday night with their most spirited outing in this C-S series.
“(Playing with frustration) seems like it erases all the little mistakes we make which is human nature, whether it’s in the regular season or previous games,” Wembaniama said.
“Just have to fight all the time and keep your back against the wall. I feel like this is the best opportunity to play.”
Dylan Harper had 18 points, Stephon Castle had 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. Philip)
“I think all of our focus and attention was on the defensive end. I don’t think scoring against them was a problem for us,” Cassell said.
“I think it was just our self-inflicted mistakes, like turnovers and letting them get offensive rebounds and easy buckets that slowed us down.”
The Thunder went scoreless for eight minutes in the third as the Spurs went on a 22-point straight lead at 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 Cassel play a key role (AP Photo/David J. Philip)
Wembanyama is leading in three wins. The 7ft 4in star joins Hall of Famers David Robinson and Tim Duncan as the only players in franchise history to have 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 at 1:27 of the first as San Antonio took a 9-2 lead.
“I think we were consistent and we did what we needed to do. Trust the game, trust the basketball gods,” said Wembaniama, who had 11 points, five rebounds, an assist and a block in the opening quarter alone.
The series was physical and contentious, with the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren bumping Vassell in the jaw after the Spurs’ wing blocked a seven-footer dunk attempt in the second quarter.
Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams returned after re-injuring 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.
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