Vassell’s two-way surge fuels Spurs’ Game 4 response

Vassell’s two-way – Devin Vassell powered the San Antonio Spurs’ 103-82 Game 4 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, snapping a two-game skid and setting up Game 5 with the series tied—powered by sharp defense, a quick connection with Victor Wembanyama, and a reputation growing as

When the Spurs finally broke through in Game 4, it didn’t look like a comeback built on hope. It looked built on stops.

In a 103-82 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on Sunday. May 24. 2026. Devin Vassell’s all-around game surfaced early and often. Seconds after blocking Jared McCain’s reverse layup attempt, Vassell found Victor Wembanyama for a lob dunk. It was the kind of sequence that turned momentum into message—play defense. win the next possession. and then punish the floor before the other team can settle.

The win snapped a two-game losing streak and tied the Western Conference finals as the Spurs head back to Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Tuesday night.

Vassell’s stat line told only part of the story. He finished with 13 points, six rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 33 minutes. He was especially proud of the defensive edge that limited the Thunder to their fewest points in a game—regular season or postseason—since Dec. 2, 2021, while holding them to just 18.2% (6 of 33) from 3-point range.

“That’s what we hang our hat on, the defensive end,” Vassell said. “We felt like those two games they won we just weren’t ourselves. We weren’t playing to a level we could. We were leaving them open way too much. So (tonight) we were in a lot of great rotations. guarding the ball and that helped us make them miss and get us out in transition.”.

At his best. that blend—disrupt. defend. then immediately turn it into offense—has become the through line of the series. For the series, Vassell is averaging 17.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks while shooting 45.2% from 3-point range. Through 15 playoff games. he’s averaging 13.7 points. 5.1 rebounds. 2.6 assists. 1.3 steals and nearly 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 36.5% from beyond the arc.

“He’s been phenomenal,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “He may be our most consistent player if you took away any stats and just watched us play. His floor and ceiling may be the least margin.”

De’Aaron Fox framed it in the same language—impact you can feel even when the shots don’t define the moment. “We all know he can shoot the ball. but he’s been one of our better defenders. one of our better rebounders. ” Fox said. “He’s been extremely active, getting deflections, steals. He’s been one of the reasons we’ve been able to stay afloat or fight back in a lot of these games.”.

That defensive consistency is also why San Antonio is now two wins away from a berth in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014.

Wembanyama pointed to the full-body impact, too—how Vassell’s work doesn’t stop when the ball stops. “His impact has been all over the floor in all kinds of areas and off the floor as a leader,” Wembanyama said.

The Spurs’ trust in that two-way transformation didn’t arrive by accident. Johnson knows the arc personally. When Johnson was an assistant coach. he served as Vassell’s developmental coach after San Antonio selected Vassell. a Georgia native and Florida State alumnus. 11th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. After taking over as acting coach following Gregg Popovich’s stroke early in the 2024-25 season. Johnson pushed Vassell to become a better all-around player.

“It’s been personally for me really fun to observe him because when we first drafted him. he was kind of a. not to be lazy. but a three-and-D generalization is kind of the bucket he was in. and he’s developed into a heck of a scorer in this league. ” Johnson said. “And at times when you are a young player it’s hard to increase your offensive load and still continue to put that same energy into defense. He probably went away from it a little bit. and now to see him have the two-way impact he has is very impactful for our team and very rewarding for someone who has been with him from his rookie year.”.

Vassell returns to the same theme when asked what changed. For him, it’s not about chasing outcomes—it’s about controlling the effort that surrounds them.

“It all boils down to effort,” Vassell said. “Just playing as hard as I can. I’ve said this for the six years I’ve been here, there are nights where you can’t make a shot. You can’t control that. But you can always control your energy, your effort. And I try to make sure my energy and effort are in the right place. whether that’s defensively. whether that’s getting a rebound. whether that’s encouraging my teammates. That’s infectious. Just because you’re not making shots, you can’t can’t hang your head and be a cancer to a team. You got to bring positivity.

“That’s the biggest thing for me a lot of games. My shot may not fall and that’s OK. But how else can you impact the game?”

Part of his comfort is also coming from time—specifically. playing with the confidence that comes from being the second longest-tenured current Spur behind seven-year vet Keldon Johnson. “The biggest thing I’m doing now is playing with confidence,” Vassell said. “I’m sure of my game. I know when I want to get to my spots. I know when it’s time to lock in on defense. when it’s time to score. when it’s time to get a stop.”.

And he’s showing that leadership in the way the Spurs answer pressure—especially after a series moment that demanded a response. From the podium after Game 4, Vassell put it plainly: “We knew we had to respond, and that’s how you respond. You get stops. You don’t try to focus on the offensive end. You get stops, you get out in transition, you guard your yard, and that’s what we did.”.

When asked what he’s learned in his first postseason, Vassell leaned into the same insistence—don’t treat experience like a shield, treat it like fuel.

“That experience does not matter,” Vassell said. “We’re here. We’ve had all the experience we’ve needed this regular season and we’re going to keep proving everybody wrong.”

The Spurs will find out Tuesday night what happens when that two-way identity has to hold up on the road again. For now, Game 4 gave them the kind of answer that travels—built on defense, followed by quick chemistry, and powered by a player who keeps raising his floor when it matters most.

Devin Vassell San Antonio Spurs Oklahoma City Thunder Game 4 Western Conference Finals Victor Wembanyama Mitch Johnson NBA playoffs