The San Antonio Spurs levelled the Western Conference finals at 2-2 with a 103-82 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4, inspired by another outstanding performance from Victor Wembanyama.
The French star produced 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks as the Spurs responded to their heavy defeat in Game 3 to swing momentum back in their favour.
Wembanyama sets the tone
The Spurs came out with far greater intensity from the opening tip and Wembanyama immediately established the tone on both ends of the floor.
He buried a 27-foot three-pointer just 24 seconds into the contest before rejecting a Chet Holmgren dunk attempt moments later.
Wembanyama scored or assisted on 17 points in the first quarter alone and at one stage outscored Oklahoma City 11-8 by himself during the opening stretch.
His remarkable half ended with a stunning 40-foot buzzer-beater from near halfway, the longest made field goal by a Spurs player in the playoffs since tracking began in 2014.
“I feel like with who we are, we need to start games like this,” Wembanyama said afterwards. “I was just thinking shoot to score. I wasn’t messing around.”
Spurs dominate on defense
San Antonio also delivered one of their best defensive performances of the postseason.
A collective effort led by Stephon Castle, Fox, Devin Vassell and Dylan Harper helped contain Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 19 points on 6-of-15 shooting.
The Spurs repeatedly disrupted Oklahoma City’s rhythm and held the Thunder to just one made three-pointer in the first half.
At one stage, the visitors went more than five minutes without scoring in the opening quarter as San Antonio built a commanding 25-point lead.
“We really paid attention to detail a lot better than Game 3,” Castle said. “Hitting first just feeds energy throughout the team, especially defensively.”
Thunder struggle despite bench effort
Oklahoma City never truly recovered from the poor start despite some resistance from their supporting cast.
The Thunder were once again without Jalen Williams because of hamstring soreness and struggled badly offensively throughout the first half.
Alex Caruso attempted to spark a response after entering from the bench early in the game, while reserves Jared McCain and Jaylin Williams provided some much-needed energy, but the deficit was too much to overcome.
Series finely poised
The win leaves the Western Conference finals tied at 2-2 heading into a pivotal Game 5 in Oklahoma City.
Wembanyama’s latest display also saw him set a Spurs franchise record for points in a player’s first postseason, surpassing Stephen Jackson’s previous mark from 2003.
He also joined Bill Walton as the only players since blocks became an official statistic in 1974 to record at least 300 points, 150 rebounds and 50 blocks in their first playoff campaign.
Despite the win, Wembanyama insisted the Spurs are staying grounded.
“It was our first deficit in a playoff series, and we just responded,” he said.
“The series is far from over.”
