Thunder hold Wembanyama to series-low 20 points and beat Spurs in Game 5 of West finals
NBC News • • general
Key Points:
- The San Antonio Spurs lost Game 5 of the Western Conference finals to the Oklahoma City Thunder, falling behind 3-2 in the series, largely because Victor Wembanyama was not the best player on the floor as he had been in previous wins.
- Wembanyama scored a series-low 20 points on 4-for-15 shooting, missing all five 3-point attempts, though he was perfect from the free-throw line with 12-for-12.
- The Thunder's defensive strategy involved sending multiple defenders to Wembanyama, disrupting his rhythm and limiting his scoring impact, which the Spurs struggled to counter.
- Despite an impassioned speech by Wembanyama during a third-quarter timeout that briefly sparked a Spurs comeback, the team could not close the gap and scored only two points in the first 4:02 of the fourth quarter.
- The Spurs face a must-win Game 6 at home on Thursday, with the challenge of finding ways to better support Wembanyama and adjust to the Thunder’s defensive tactics to extend their season.