SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama was quiet on the floor in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, and silent afterward.
The San Antonio Spurs surely are hoping to see a different version of him on Thursday.
Game 6 of the West title series awaits, with the Spurs — facing elimination for the first time in these playoffs — set to play host to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Oklahoma City leads the series 3-2 and would have home-court advantage if a Game 7 is necessary on Saturday.
“I think we’ll be fine,” Spurs forward Julian Champagnie said. “I think we’ll be ready to play next game. Obviously, it’s a win-or-go-home situation, so I’m 100% sure everybody’s going to come to play.”
That would include Wembanyama, who was held to a series-low 20 points in Tuesday’s Game 5 loss at Oklahoma City. He didn’t speak with reporters after that game, and the NBA issued him a warning on Wednesday for not fulfilling media obligations.
The Spurs would likely prefer Wembanyama does his talking on the floor Thursday. Getting him more than 15 shot attempts will be a priority, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said.
“That’s probably the easiest (adjustment) in terms of just surface-level stuff,” Johnson said. “He’ll definitely need to take more shots.”
There are all sorts of technical and highly nuanced adjustments that get made over the course of a playoff series, especially a back-and-forth playoff series like these West finals have been.
Game plans can seem quite elaborate. But for the Thunder, the plan going into a possible closeout game like Game 6 against the Spurs couldn’t come with a simpler plan.
“We’ve got to understand what’s going on,” Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said.
Here’s what’s going on: The Spurs will be fighting for their playoff lives, with a home crowd behind them hoping to see them extend their season for at least one more game.
A back-and-forth series — San Antonio won Game 1, Oklahoma City won Games 2 and 3, the Spurs won Game 4 and the Thunder prevailed in Game 5 — has now reached the must-win phase for San Antonio.
“We’ve been great when we’re desperate all year,” Spurs guard Stephon Castle said. “I can’t wait to see how we respond.”
Closeout games
The Thunder are 2-0 in closeout chances this year, winning Game 4s on the road in both Round 1 against Phoenix and Round 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers. They were 4-2 in closeout chances last season on the way to the NBA title.
The Spurs won elimination games in each of their last two playoff series before this season, but ultimately wound up losing both of those series.
The odds
Oddsmakers evidently expect a Game 7. They’ve made San Antonio a 3.5-point favorite for Game 6, which means the series would go back to Oklahoma City for a deciding game.
The Thunder are still favored to win the NBA title.
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