Wembanyama answers – Victor Wembanyama kept his foot on the gas in Game 4, powering the Spurs to a 103-82 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder to tie the Western Conference finals 2-2. With 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks, and a defensive effort that held th
Victor Wembanyama wanted the ball for the final couple seconds of the first half. He got it—65 feet from the basket.
Three Oklahoma City defenders lined up in front of him. Wembanyama took three dribbles, went up, and scored three points. It wasn’t just a highlight. It was a message, delivered with the kind of calm that only shows up when a superstar decides to take control.
A swished three-pointer from the midcourt stripe to close the first half triggered loud roars. but it hardly told the whole story in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Sunday. Even with a large chunk of the fourth quarter off. Wembanyama still finished with 33 points. eight rebounds. five assists and three blocked shots as the Spurs beat the Thunder 103-82 to tie the West title series at two games apiece.
“The truth is that we had never been in this kind of situation before,” Wembanyama said. “It was our first deficit in a playoff series and we just responded. It was nothing amazing. It wasn’t magic. We just did what we needed to do.”
San Antonio came into this series with a 62-win regular season and now had beaten Oklahoma City six times in nine opportunities during the season. Wembanyama didn’t frame Sunday’s response as something new—more like a reality the Spurs had to meet head-on.
Game 5 is Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
That urgency was there even before the tip. After San Antonio’s loss in Game 3, Wembanyama pointed the blame toward himself, saying the Spurs were “going to see what we’re made of” in Game 4 and that he needed to do more to get teammates involved. In Game 4, the performance landed on every level.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson described the night as a reflection of the team’s competitive character.
“I saw a lot and I’m not surprised,” Johnson said. “I think our competitive response all year has been pretty good — and he’s been at the forefront of that more often than not. I think tonight, not speaking for him, he felt an obligation to set a tone for us in a variety of ways.”
Wembanyama built the offensive case early. He scored 11 points in the first quarter, then added 11 more on 10 shot attempts in the second quarter, capped by the beat-the-clock 3-pointer that sent the Spurs into halftime on a high.
On the other end, his impact looked even more severe.
The unanimous Defensive Player of the Year—announced on Sunday night as a first-team All-NBA selection for the first time—led a stretch where the Spurs held Oklahoma City to a season-low in points and a season-high-tying 20 turnovers. Before Sunday, the Thunder had recorded at least 108 points in every game of these playoffs.
“We’ve played 12 playoff games. When you play 12 playoff games, they’re not all going to be masterpieces,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “As much as you want to win, there’s nights where you just don’t have it for whatever reason.”
Sunday’s “reason” seemed to start and end with Wembanyama.
The Thunder were outscored by 29 points when he was on the floor. They shot 18 of 41 inside the paint with Wembanyama a major factor in how those looks were shaped, and more shots ended up outside as a result—where they hit 12 of 50.
Wembanyama was asked how San Antonio bottled up Oklahoma City so well.
“I’m not going to get into details, but in general, being more disciplined and just trusting the game plan even more,” Wembanyama said.
By Monday, the Spurs will travel to Oklahoma City for the game on Tuesday, with the winner moving one step closer to the NBA Finals. Even after a win this decisive, Wembanyama didn’t treat it like a finish line.
“The series is far from over,” he said. “We’ve got six more wins before we can rest.”
MISRYOUM Sports News Wembanyama Spurs Thunder Western Conference finals Game 4 Game 5 NBA playoffs 103-82 33 points 20 turnovers
Midcourt three at the buzzer?? That’s wild lol
Wait so OKC lost 103-82 but they were still up 2-1 in the series or what? I can’t keep track. Also 33 and 3 blocks?? Sounds like he just did everything and then Thunder forgot how to shoot.
Game 4 was basically Spurs ball control right? I saw something about he took 3 dribbles from like 65 feet and just scored so I’m guessing the Thunder defense was literally standing still. Not sure if that’s true but yeah, 103-82 is brutal.
I love Wemby but “kept his foot on the gas” is just coach talk, he was probably unstoppable because OKC was tired from travel or whatever. Six times in nine during the season?? That seems like the Thunder always choke vs them. Game 5 in OKC Tuesday… so does that mean it’s in the same arena they always lose in? Idk I just hope the Thunder show up this time.