Wembanyama held – Victor Wembanyama was held to 20 points, his lowest in the Western Conference finals, as the San Antonio Spurs were beaten 127-114 by the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5. Down 3-2, the Spurs head back to San Antonio for Game 6 on Thursday night looking to keep
The Western Conference finals have carried a simple pattern for the Spurs: when Victor Wembanyama looks like the best player on the floor, San Antonio wins. Tuesday night, he didn’t.
Wembanyama finished with 20 points as the Spurs fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5, 127-114. The margin alone was harsh. but the way it played out felt even tougher—Wembanyama never seemed to find a rhythm. and by the time San Antonio tried to mount another push. the Thunder had already built the cushion back.
The loss leaves the Spurs trailing 3-2 in the series. Game 6 comes Thursday night in San Antonio, with the matchup now one win away from deciding the next step.
Wembanyama’s 20 points were his series-low. Only 12 of those came from the foul line, where he went 12-for-12 to keep his scoring afloat. From the field, he was 4-for-15 and missed all five of his 3-point attempts. He never looked fully set to take over in the way he had in the Spurs’ winning games. when he delivered 41-point and 33-point outings.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson made the message direct after the game. In his postgame news conference in Oklahoma City. he said Wembanyama has to take more than 15 shots—even if the free throws are going in—adding that he’s going to have to score more than 20 points. Johnson also pointed to Oklahoma City’s defensive effort. saying OKC did a good job and that San Antonio has to do better.
Wembanyama did not speak with reporters after the game.
The halftime numbers helped explain why the Spurs struggled to flip the contest. In San Antonio’s two wins in this series, Wembanyama shot 7-for-15 and 6-for-11 from the field. In the three Spurs losses. his halftime shot totals were 2-for-4. 2-for-5 and 2-for-6—on Tuesday. the 2-for-6 line matched what he did in the first two quarters.
San Antonio tried to change the feel early in the second half. During a timeout barely two minutes into the third quarter, after Oklahoma City opened an 18-point lead, Wembanyama gave teammates an impassioned speech. It worked in the short term: the Spurs closed within eight in the third.
Then the Thunder tightened it again. Oklahoma City scored again to push its advantage back up to 20. and the Spurs couldn’t make the deficit shrink for long. They entered the fourth down 10. scored only two points in the first 4:02 of the final quarter. and the momentum that looked possible after Wembanyama’s timeout moment didn’t carry over.
Part of what made Tuesday night difficult was how many different looks the Thunder threw at the 7-foot-4 French star. Oklahoma City kept rolling out different defenders and different bodies—Isaiah Hartenstein. Chet Holmgren. Jaylin Williams. Alex Caruso and more—using team defense rather than relying on one matchup.
Thunder guard Jared McCain credited that approach. He said it’s a team defense, that the Thunder talked about it, made adjustments, and knows that when Wembanyama gets going, the whole Spurs team starts to get going with him.
For San Antonio, the challenge now becomes what to do when another night of that same physical, shifting plan arrives in Game 6. The Spurs have two days to figure out how to counter.
Stephon Castle, the Spurs guard, pointed to the sheer number of bodies. He said it’s hard at times because the Thunder send so many bodies at him. Castle also emphasized what he wants Wembanyama to be able to do: make the right play. be aggressive. and open up shots for other guys because he’s their best player.
On Tuesday, Wembanyama couldn’t get to the kind of offense the Spurs need to win. Now San Antonio gets one more chance at home—Game 6 on Thursday night—with their season riding on whether they can crack the Thunder’s defense before it tightens again.
MISRYOUM Sports News Spurs vs Thunder Victor Wembanyama Game 5 Western Conference finals Mitch Johnson Jared McCain Stephon Castle Game 6
20 points lowest in the finals? man the refs gotta’ve missed something, 12 free throws sounds like they were scared of him.
I didn’t even realize it was down 3-2 already. If he went 12-for-12 at the line but only 4-for-15 otherwise… that’s like the definition of not getting the right looks.
Maybe he just had an off night, like cmon. Coach said more than 15 shots but if OKC defense was locking him up then what else is he supposed to do, turn into Steph Curry? Also 5 missed 3s is crazy though.
Spurs pattern is weird though like “when he looks best they win” — so does that mean he wasn’t actually best this game or the team just didn’t pass to him right? Because 12 free throws is still a lot, so I’m confused why the coach is mad about shot count if he’s getting points at the line anyway.