All articles tagged with #west finals
Victor Wembanyama capped a late Spurs surge with a 43-foot half-court buzzer-beater to spark a 21-point run and tie the Western Conference Finals with Oklahoma City. He finished Game 4 with 33 points in 31 minutes, showcasing scoring and defense that keep San Antonio competitive while the Thunder rely on deeper depth. The Spurs’ path hinges on him carrying the offense, even as bench support remains a challenge.
San Antonio jumped out to a 19-4 lead, but Oklahoma City flipped the script with its depth and defense, routing the Spurs 123-108 to take a 2-1 edge in the Western Conference Finals. The Thunder’s bench outscored San Antonio 76-23, with Jared McCain dropping 24 and Jaylin Williams adding 18, while Victor Wembanyama finished with 26 but saw limited paint touches. Devin Vassell led SA with 20 points as the offense stalled after the first quarter; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still produced 26 on a night he struggled from the floor, and De’Aaron Fox returned from injury only to re-injure his ankle, leaving San Antonio searching for answers ahead of Game 4.
Spurs and Thunder opened the Western Conference Finals with a record 9.16 million viewers for Game 1 on NBC (Nielsen 6.91M, Adobe Analytics 2.25M), the largest West Finals Game 1 in history and among the top conference-final openers, aided by streaming and a surge in playoff viewership across NBCUniversal and Prime Video; the piece notes Nielsen’s evolving methodology and underscores the NBA’s national TV-only rights landscape under the new deal.
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 122-113 in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals to tie the series at 1-1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC with 30 points, while Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama posted 21 points and 17 rebounds. OKC boosted its advantage with a 57-25 edge in bench scoring and 27-10 in points off turnovers. Jalen Williams left with hamstring tightness for OKC, and San Antonio’s Dylan Harper exited with a right leg injury. Game 3 moves to San Antonio on Friday.
Victor Wembanyama posted 41 points and 24 rebounds to power the San Antonio Spurs to a 122-115 double-overtime win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.
Victor Wembanyama poured in 41 points and 24 rebounds as the Spurs outlasted the Thunder 125-118 in a double-overtime thriller to seize Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, with Dylan Harper adding 24 points and San Antonio dominating the boards despite OKC's paint advantage.
San Antonio guard De’Aaron Fox was ruled out of Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against Oklahoma City with right ankle soreness, forcing rookie Dylan Harper into the starting lineup. Fox had been averaging 18.8 points and 5.8 assists this postseason, while OKC welcomed back Jalen Williams from a hamstring injury.
San Antonio heads to Oklahoma City for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the favored Thunder, who welcome back Jalen Williams and carry momentum; analysts are split on Spurs’ upset chances, but the series could hinge on Victor Wembanyama’s impact and how well San Antonio uses him.