The Spurs crush the Thunder to the beat of Wembanyama and force Game 7

The San Antonio Spurs forced a Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals by crushing the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-91 in a sixth game dominated from start to finish by the Texan franchise. The standout player once again was Victor Wembanyama, who scored 28 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and had three blocks.

The series will be decided in Game 7 on Saturday in Oklahoma City, where the winner will face the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, with the first game scheduled for Wednesday. After the disappointing loss in the fifth game by 127-114, San Antonio reacted with energy and aggressiveness from the tip-off. Wembanyama led a much more intense Spurs defense and a solid performance on both ends of the court.

"Playing with desperation makes many of those small errors that are part of human nature disappear, whether in the regular season or in previous games," explained Wembanyama after the game. "You have to always play like that, with your back against the wall."

The Frenchman was supported by a solid team effort. Dylan Harper scored 18 points, Stephon Castle added 17, and Devin Vassell contributed 12 points and two spectacular blocks that ignited the Frost Bank Center crowd.

Castle highlighted the team's defensive improvement as the key to victory. "Scoring against them has never been the problem. What hurt us were our turnovers, conceding offensive rebounds, and easy baskets," noted the rookie.

The decisive moment came in the third quarter. Oklahoma City went eight minutes without scoring, and the Spurs took advantage to build a 22-0 run that pushed the lead to 92-64 with 56 seconds left in the period.

Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault acknowledged the blow received after halftime. "I felt we were ready to play, and I also liked how we were at the half. It seemed like the kind of game we could win on the road if we made the first move in the third quarter, but it was them who did," he stated.

The series has seen very large margins. The average difference in wins exceeds 15 points, and San Antonio has won their three games by an average of 18.3.

Wembanyama once again stood out as the main reference. The French center became the third player in franchise history with at least five games of 25 points and 10 rebounds in the same playoffs, joining legends David Robinson and Tim Duncan.

The young center's start was devastating. He scored his first two shots, both three-pointers, and also blocked a shot from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander within the first 90 seconds of the game. He finished the first quarter with 11 points, five rebounds, an assist, and a block.

Poor performance from Shai and the Thunder

Gilgeous-Alexander ended as the top scorer for Oklahoma City with just 15 points and a poor 6 of 18 from the field. Chet Holmgren recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Jalen Williams returned after missing three games due to injury but could only contribute one point in 10 minutes.

The game also maintained the usual physical tension of the series. Holmgren and Vassell got into a pushing and verbal exchange after the San Antonio forward blocked an attempted dunk from the Oklahoma City player in the second quarter.

Now, all the pressure shifts to the seventh and deciding game, where the Thunder and Spurs will seek the ticket to the NBA Finals already awaited in New York.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Los Spurs aplastan a los Thunder al ritmo de Wembanyama y fuerzan el Game 7