Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs Game 7: Why Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander clash can’t be ruled out | NBA News

The most anticipated matchup of the 2026 NBA playoffs is going the distance after the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night to tie the Western Conference finals at 3-3.

That means it’s time to utter what Americans often describe as the two greatest words in sports – Game 7.

The Thunder host the Spurs on Saturday night (Sunday 1pm UK time) to determine who will face the Eastern Conference champions, the New York Knicks.

The series went back and forth, with Spurs falling behind twice before going 1-0 up and leveling, making it very difficult to predict what would happen in the final.

The decider of any NBA playoff series offers heightened excitement and intensity, but few matchups capture the imagination, and this is one of them, but why?

Wembanyama is taking charge of the NBA

The hype around this series is primarily about one player, Victor Wembanyama, the 22-year-old Spurs center who is quickly becoming the face of the NBA.

In his third season in the NBA after being drafted with the top pick in 2023, Wembanyama is in the process of establishing himself as one of the best players in the league.

His height – 7ft 4in – combination of athleticism and skill at both ends of the court earned Wembanyama the nickname ‘The Alien’. He’s capable of throwing down spectacular slam dunks — often converting alley-oops off teammates’ passes — draining three-pointers from Steph Curry range, and guarding his own team’s basket like an adult playing with kids.

All you have to do is watch a few highlights of the Frenchman’s action, and it will quickly become clear why he alone makes any Spurs game worth tuning into.

Wembanyama was unanimously voted Defensive Player of the Year and third in the Most Valuable Player competition – both regular season awards, but there is little doubt that his star rose significantly further in his postseason debut.

Spurs have steadily improved since drafting Wembanyama, with their management committed to being a contender in this first season.

It is very rare that a young NBA team with limited playoff experience is able to come close to a title. The Thunder provide a perfect example, getting knocked out in the conference semifinals two years ago by the Dallas Mavericks after atop the standings during the regular season.

This is potential history in the making, and should not be missed.

SGA defends its crown

What makes Wembanyama’s ascent even more entertaining is that it is coming against the reigning champions, who are led by him trying to dethrone the league’s best, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The 27-year-old Canadian just won his second straight regular season MVP award and was the Finals MVP last year as the Thunder won their first ever NBA championship.

Gilgeous-Alexander is a tremendous player but also something of an anti-superstar, a quiet character who hasn’t chased the limelight that often comes with being NBA MVP.

What has never been in doubt is his ability, which is being pushed to the limit by injuries affecting his backcourt colleagues.

The Thunder’s de facto No. 2 option, Jalen Williams, has been on and off throughout the playoffs with a hamstring injury and was ineffective when he returned for Game 6.

Then Ajayi Mitchell, the Belgian guard who impressed in Williams’ absence earlier in the playoffs, is also out with a calf injury.

This increases both the scoring and playmaking load on Gilgeous-Alexander and allows the Spurs to apply more defensive pressure on him.

That said so far, Gilgeous-Alexander’s 37.9 percent field goal percentage in the series is lower than the 55.1 and 47.1 percent marks set in the previous two rounds so far. He shot below 44 percent just once in the eight previous playoff series he played for the Thunder.

So while this has been far from a vintage series for Gilgeous-Alexander so far, it would be extremely dangerous to underestimate the heart of a champion who will undoubtedly want to offer a reminder of why he’s the reigning two-time MVP.

The two best teams in the league

Although built on NBA stars, both Wembanyama and Gilgeous-Alexander have incredible supporting casts.

Spurs’ rebuild in recent years has seen them acquire a number of players who other than Wembanyama could consider as a player to build their franchise.

Dylan Harper, the 20-year-old No. 2 pick in the draft earlier this season, has already exceeded expectations, picking up his game in the playoffs and turning in game-winning performances in the first two rounds.

Fellow 21-year-old Stephon Cassel, the No. 4 pick in the draft a year ago, is also an exciting player to watch in his own right. The young duo is complemented by the experience of De’Aaron Fox, who brings playoff experience and nous from his time with the Sacramento Kings.

That the Thunder went 3-3 in the series without Williams and Mitchell is a testament to the tremendous depth on their roster, but the players Gilgeous-Alexander will need to help out in Game 7 are Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso.

Unfortunately for him, Holmgren has often been measured against Wembanyama in this series, but he will know that his highest points in the series was only 16.

Caruso, a champion with the Los Angeles Lakers before helping the Thunder to glory last year, is the team’s defensive leader, a pest to opponents who has the ability to single-handedly turn games around with his tremendous strength.

Although the New York Knicks are in form and advanced to the Finals with a 4-0 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, it’s the winner of the West who is going to start next week as the favorite.

Added spice after the ‘hard foul’ controversy

By the time any playoff series reaches Game 7, the players are likely tired and have developed some animosity toward their opponents, but there’s no doubt there’s some extra spice.

Spurs looked like the Thunder were able to get away with being overly aggressive, especially with Wembanyama, in the early stages of the series.

But there was something of a plot twist late in Game 5, when the Spurs made some questionable plays of their own.

Wembaniama accepted defeat on his way out of the game with his coach Mitch Johnson, and on his way out, called out some “hard fouls” to the Spurs backups who came into the game.

The potential order was quickly followed as Mason Plumlee ran over Thunder guard Jared McCain, before Bismack Biyombo took a hard hit on the same player.

The referees did well to keep a lid on the action in Game 6, but there’s no doubt that both teams will want to set the tone Saturday night by getting the upper hand in a physical battle.

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