OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — It’s been a very simple formula for the San Antonio Spurs in these Western Conference finals. When Victor Wembanyama has been the best player on the floor, they win. When he isn’t, they lose.
He wasn’t the best player on the floor Tuesday night.
That was not the only reason why the Spurs fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of the West finals — there were many — but it was certainly among them. Wembanyama, who has had 41-point and 33-point outings in winning efforts during the series, never seemed to get fully rolling, and the Spurs lost 127-114.
Now down 3-2 in the series, they’ll try to extend the matchup — and save their season — in Game 6 at San Antonio on Thursday night.
Wembanyama scored 20 points, his lowest of the series, and only a 12-for-12 effort from the foul line helped him get there in Game 5. He was 4 for 15 from the floor, missing all five of his 3-point tries, never seeming to get into any sort of rhythm.
“He’s got to take more than 15 shots, even with the free throws,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said in his postgame news conference. “He’s going to have to score more than 20 points, for sure. … OKC did a good job. We’ve got to do a better job.”
Wembanyama did not speak with reporters after the game.
The first halves have told much of the story. In San Antonio’s two wins in this series, Wembanyama has gone 7 for 15 and 6 for 11 from the field. In the three losses, his halftime shot numbers — 2 for 4, 2 for 5 and 2 for 6, the last of those what he did in the first two quarters on Tuesday.
Wembanyama offered an impassioned speech to teammates during a timeout barely two minutes into the third quarter, after the Thunder opened an 18-point lead. And it worked — to a point. Oklahoma City scored again to get the lead up to 20, but the Spurs closed within eight later in the third.
It seemed like there was hope. But the Spurs didn’t get any closer. The deficit was 10 going into the fourth, the Spurs scored only two points in the first 4:02 of the final quarter, and whatever momentum that seemed like it was building after Wembanyama’s timeout speech appeared to be gone.
And on a night in which the Thunder just kept throwing different bodies — Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren, Jaylin Williams, Alex Caruso and more — along with different looks at Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 French star just didn’t have enough answers.
“It’s a team defense,” Thunder guard Jared McCain said. “We talked about it. We made adjustments to it. We know that when he gets going, their whole team gets going.”
Obviously, the Spurs know what’s coming from the Thunder on Thursday — more of the same. San Antonio has two days to figure out how to counter.
“I think they sent so many bodies towards him, it’s hard at times,” Spurs guard Stephon Castle said. “I think he just wants to make the right play and wants to win. … He’s our best player. We need him to be aggressive. I feel like him being aggressive opens up shots for other guys.”
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