Spurs’ turnovers – In Game 2 of the 2026 Western Conference finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the San Antonio Spurs 122-113 on May 20, exposing a turnover problem that kept widening—and testing how long the Spurs can manage injuries as the series shifts to San Antonio.
For the third straight day, the series didn’t feel settled so much as it kept forcing adjustments. On Wednesday, May 20, the Oklahoma City Thunder outlasted the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2, winning 122-113 and sending the matchup to San Antonio with the series now heading back west.
What changed in Game 2 wasn’t just the score. It was the way the Spurs lost the ball, the way Oklahoma City chose to defend Victor Wembanyama, and the way injuries are starting to loom over every substitution.
Two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with a bounce-back performance: 30 points and 9 assists after he had struggled with double-teams and inefficiency in the series opener. On the other end. Wembanyama scored 21 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. but appeared to wear down late as Oklahoma City turned up the physicality against him.
One problem sat at the center of it all for San Antonio: turnovers.
Game 1 and Game 2 told the same story. In Game 1, the Spurs committed 21 turnovers, compared to 14 by the Thunder, helping produce a 28-17 deficit in points off giveaways. In Game 2. it was again San Antonio handing possession away—21 turnovers for the Spurs versus 9 for Oklahoma City—leading to a 27-10 Thunder edge in points off turnovers.
The numbers were even more pointed because 14 of San Antonio’s turnovers came on Thunder steals.
Stephon Castle has been solid against Oklahoma City overall, but he has also become the most obvious common denominator. Across both games, he has committed 20 turnovers. Some of it traces back to expanded ball-handling duties with starting point guard De’Aaron Fox missing both games and with Dylan Harper leaving Game 2 in the third quarter.
That meant Castle had to be the primary play-maker more often than usual. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson acknowledged the issue after the game and pointed to specific ways his staff is trying to reduce the errors—helping Castle with reads, especially when he’s tired.
“ We’ve addressed it and we’ll continue to. in terms of trying to help him with some of his reads. especially when he’s tired. ” Johnson said after the game. “Whether it’s playing more off of two feet or getting off the ball earlier with the early pass and letting the ball find the open man. “They do such a great job of showing crowds in the paint and having multiple bodies. So it’s not just Steph. He had too many turnovers, but our whole team did.”.
Castle took responsibility for the turnovers. but it’s not clear how much relief the Spurs will get from the injury situation. It remains uncertain whether Fox or Harper—either one or both—will miss additional time in the series. San Antonio also did steal one game on the road. but this pace of giving the ball up is not sustainable if it wants to keep winning.
As the Spurs wrestle with ball security, the other storyline is the central matchup: how Oklahoma City defends Wembanyama.
In Game 1, 12 of Wembanyama’s 14 made field goals came inside the restricted area, the semicircle four feet from the center of the rim. One of the other two came just outside the restricted area, and the final make was the logo 3 he hit in the first overtime.
In Game 2, the Thunder made a clear change. Instead of rotating wing players—Alex Caruso and Jalen Williams being primary options—Thunder coach Mark Daigneault asked center Isaiah Hartenstein to be the primary defender on Wembanyama.
Hartenstein was physical in the low post. using added bulk to displace Wembanyama and make it harder to get clean looks down low. The tradeoff was that the contact pushed toward the edge of legality. The Thunder’s strategy showed up in the moments where Hartenstein grabbed Wembanyama’s arms and jersey. pulling and shoving him around the low block.
Daigneault said the approach was tied to what the Thunder saw in Game 1: having wings on Wembanyama had worked in the macro during earlier stretches, but in the opener he had “way too much at the restricted.”
“The other night, and during the regular season, having wings on (Wembanyama) was effective in the macro,” Daigneault said. “The other night, he just had way too much at the restricted.”
Two things, Daigneault said, “didn’t feel good.” One was how sustainable Wembanyama’s rim work looked, which required corrections. The other was the matchup and how extended time for Hartenstein would work once the rotation demands hit.
“Two things that just didn’t feel good were his stuff at the rim just felt too sustainable. so we had to make some corrections there; it won’t be the last time we have a wing on him. we had a wing on him a couple of possessions tonight. And then the other thing that doesn’t feel good is playing Hart 12 minutes. It just didn’t feel good to me. And in order to get him extended past (12 minutes), that’s the matchup.”.
Even with all that, Wembanyama still scored 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting and collected 17 rebounds. But the added energy he had to spend to battle Hartenstein appeared to take its toll late. In the fourth quarter, Wembanyama went 2-of-7 and scored only 4 points.
Daigneault added that Oklahoma City would never fully commit to Hartenstein guarding Wembanyama the entire game. The injury to Williams in Game 2 also mattered: it prompted Hartenstein to take on the bulk of responsibility.
The Spurs will likely tweak their plan again to get Wembanyama easier offense. Oklahoma City, in turn, will have to respond because this is the matchup the series keeps circling back to.
And now the injury management calculus is getting sharper.
Jalen Williams, a Thunder forward, seemingly reaggravated the left hamstring injury that had kept him out for a month-and-a-half. For the Spurs, rookie guard Dylan Harper left Game 2 in the third quarter with a right leg injury.
After the game, there was no definitive update on either, but there is a real possibility that one or both could miss extended time in the series. That matters even more because Spurs point guard De’Aaron Fox missed both Western Conference finals games with right ankle soreness.
How both teams manage those injuries—and how they handle any potential substitutions—may shape the series more than any single tactical tweak. Fox and Harper have often acted as catalysts for the Spurs’ offensive operation. and when their availability becomes uncertain. the ripple shows up everywhere: who handles the ball. who initiates. and how often the Spurs can protect themselves from costly mistakes.
What the Thunder have at least proven in Game 2 is that they can change their approach to Wembanyama and still keep things moving. What the Spurs have revealed, repeatedly, is that they can’t afford to keep turning possession into a gift—especially when the opponent knows exactly where to press.
2026 Western Conference finals Thunder vs Spurs Game 2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Victor Wembanyama turnovers Isaiah Hartenstein Mark Daigneault Mitch Johnson De'Aaron Fox Dylan Harper Jalen Williams left hamstring right ankle soreness