Victor Wembanyama delivered a dominant all-around performance with 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and three blocks as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 103-82, in Game 4 on Sunday night to even the Western Conference finals series at 2-2.
Key Contributions from Teammates
According to an Associated Press report, De'Aaron Fox added 12 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists for San Antonio, which avoided losing three straight games for the first time this season. Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell chipped in 13 points apiece.
Series Schedule
Game 5 is set for Tuesday in Oklahoma City, while Game 6 returns to San Antonio on Thursday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 19 points on 6-of-15 shooting for Oklahoma City.
Wembanyama's Response
The AP report said Wembanyama responded strongly after San Antonio's 123-108 loss in Game 3 on Friday, saying he needed to elevate his play to help his teammates. The 7-foot-4 French star delivered just that, powering the Spurs on both ends of the floor.
Defensive Dominance
San Antonio held Oklahoma City to just 33 percent shooting from the field, including a dismal 6-of-33 clip from beyond the arc.
After being outscored 76-23 in bench points in Game 3, the Spurs' reserves bounced back with 30 points while limiting the Thunder bench to 34.
Strong Start
The Spurs also stormed to another strong start. Following a 15-0 opening run in Game 3, San Antonio again seized early control and never surrendered the lead.
Midway through the first quarter, Vassell threw an alley-oop pass to Wembanyama for a dunk after the latter blocked Jared McCain at the rim, sparking a 16-0 run that stretched the Spurs' lead to 23-8 with 4:19 remaining in the period.
San Antonio assisted on all 10 of its field goals in the opening quarter and held Oklahoma City to just 38 first-half points, tying the Thunder's second-lowest scoring half across the past four regular and postseasons.
Historical Context
Oklahoma City has gone 2-9 over the last five seasons when scoring fewer than 40 points in a half. The franchise's lowest playoff output remains 65 points in a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on May 3, 2014, while its previous second-lowest total was 85 points against San Antonio on May 21, 2014.
