After a 118-91 setback in Game 6, the Thunder host the Spurs for a decisive Game 7, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander calling it the biggest game of his career as Oklahoma City fights to repeat as champions. Injuries complicate OKC’s bid, as Jalen Williams is out for Game 7 and Ajay Mitchell is doubtful, while Victor Wembanyama and San Antonio look to close out on the road. OKC’s strong home record this postseason and the lessons from their title run supply confidence, even as the Spurs push toward a Finals berth.
OKC's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads a shorthanded Thunder toward the NBA Finals, while Victor Wembanyama draws praise and relatively light punishment in the Western Conference Finals, fueling a debate about league favoritism as SGA faces scrutiny for his style and free-throw approach. Oklahoma City sits one win from the Finals.
OKC leads 3-2 in the West Finals and can punch a Finals ticket with a win in Game 6 at San Antonio, where the Spurs must extend the series behind Victor Wembanyama as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander anchors the Thunder in a razor-thin, high-stakes showdown.
Underdog Sports received a cease-and-desist letter from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s lawyers after promoting ‘Unethical Hoops,’ an Operation-inspired game that mocks the two-time NBA MVP’s foul-drawing; the letter demands Underdog stop using Gilgeous-Alexander’s NIL in all media and promotions, destroy the board game, and desist from further use of his name, image, or likeness.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s legal team issued a cease-and-desist to Underdog over its viral “Unethical Hoops” board game that mocks the Thunder star’s flopping. The move sparked a polarized NBA reaction, with critics calling it pathetic while others defend image-rights and the right to profit from NIL. Underdog says it won’t remove the game, highlighting ongoing tensions between athletes’ rights and viral, jokey content in the playoff-era NBA.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s lawyers served a cease-and-desist to Underdog Sports over a promo game called Unethical Hoops that buzzed for a foul whenever SGA was touched. The letter demands the destruction of all copies and an end to using his name, image, or NIL across media and products. Underdog declined to comment, and the game remained online as the dispute unfolds amid ongoing debates about SGA’s foul-drawing style and ethical considerations in his play.
The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the San Antonio Spurs 127–114 in Game 5, overcoming a rough start from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as they leaned on depth and tactical adjustments—Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso, and Kenrich Williams provided scoring while coach Mark Daigneault deployed multiple defenses to slow Victor Wembanyama, who played 38 minutes with limited impact and the Spurs’ offense faded after a strong opener.
OKC Thunder beat the Spurs 127-114 in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead and move within one win of the NBA Finals. Despite calling his start the worst of his career, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still poured in 32 points and 9 assists as a balanced lineup—Holmgren, Caruso, and Jared McCain among others—carried the scoring load, setting up a likely Game 6 in San Antonio.
Oklahoma City erased a rough start from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to beat San Antonio 127-114 in Game 5, pulling the series to 3-2. Holmgren notched a double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds); bench contributors like Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso provided a spark, and the Thunder leaned on depth and an 'next man up' mentality after injuries. The win underscored Oklahoma City’s experience edge and willingness to adjust, setting up a pivotal Game 6 against a Spurs team led by Wembanyama.
Reggie Miller defended Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on The Dan Patrick Show ahead of Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, telling podcasters to stop overreacting to SGA’s foul-drawing and blaming officials instead. He noted SGA’s free-throw rate is down this season, argued the guard’s polished game is underappreciated, and drew historical comparisons to Michael Jordan while contrasting SGA with Luka Dončić as different benchmarks in the 2026 playoffs.
Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals to grab a 3-2 series lead and move within one win of the NBA Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32, and OKC shot 43.8% from three as a team, while Alex Caruso dropped 22 off the bench and Chet Holmgren posted 16 points and 11 rebounds. Julian Champagnie added a playoff-high 22, and Jared McCain contributed a strong 20 points after halftime as starter for Williams. The Thunder’s bench totaled 40 points, while Victor Wembanyama finished with 20 on 4-of-15 shooting, and Stephon Castle had 24 for San Antonio. OKC led by up to 20 and weathered a Spurs rally to close the gap; Game 6 is Thursday in San Antonio on NBC/Peacock.
Live updates for Game 5 of the 2026 West Finals feature Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs hosting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder. With a 2-2 series, home teams have historically had the edge, and Oklahoma City will be without Ajay Mitchell and Thomas Sorber while Jalen Williams is listed as questionable. The game hinges on lineups, matchups and Wembanyama’s efficiency as San Antonio seeks a 3-2 series lead.
Spurs adjusted in Game 4 by keeping Victor Wembanyama around the rim and applying a tighter one-on-one on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, with help swarms when he drove. The ploy disrupted OKC’s offense, produced 20 Thunder turnovers, and limited 3-point shooting (6-for-33) while injuries to Jalen Williams and Mitchell left the Thunder shorthanded. San Antonio tied the series and forced Daigneault to figure out how to generate space for SGA and jump-start the supporting cast in Game 5.
NBA has announced the 2025/26 All-NBA teams: First Team – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Luka Dončić and Cade Cunningham; Second Team – Jaylen Brown, Kawhi Leonard, Donovan Mitchell, Kevin Durant and Jalen Brunson; Third Team – Tyrese Maxey, Jamal Murray, Jalen Johnson, Jalen Duren and Chet Holmgren. SGA and Jokic were unanimous First Team selections, with Wembanyama just shy of unanimous (99 First-Team votes, 1 Second-Team vote). Dončić and Cunningham were ruled ineligible by the 65-game rule but granted extraordinary-circumstances eligibility. Anthony Edwards’ request for an exception was denied. Balloters also included Deni Avdija, Towns, Barnes, Harden, Sengun, LaMelo Ball, Stephon Castle, Adebayo and White among others. Contract implications: Duren can sign up to 30% of the 2026/27 cap (up to about $287.1M over five years) as a restricted free agent; Maxey and Cunningham are positioned for Rose Rule super-max eligibility with another All-NBA nod; Wembanyama can sign a rookie-scale extension, Holmgren’s deal is unaffected by Rose Rule, and Edwards would need All-NBA next season for potential Designated Veteran extension.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander headlines the 2025-26 All-NBA selections with Nikola Jokić, Victor Wembanyama, Luka Dončić and Cade Cunningham on the First Team; Jaylen Brown, Kawhi Leonard, Donovan Mitchell, Kevin Durant and Jalen Brunson are on the Second Team; Jalen Duren, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Johnson, Tyrese Maxey and Jamal Murray compose the Third Team. Durant adds to his historic All-NBA résumé, while Dončić and Cunningham were granted eligibility under the NBA/NBA PA extraordinary circumstances provision after initially missing the 65-game threshold.
