After Friday’s loss, Victor Wembanyama said the San Antonio Spurs were about to “find out what we’re made of.” Two days later, the franchise star delivered both with his play and his message.
Wembanyama scored 33 points with eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks as San Antonio beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-82 on Sunday night at Frost Bank Center, tying the Western Conference finals at 2-2. The Spurs held Oklahoma City to 33% shooting and just 6-for-33 from three while limiting the Thunder to their second-lowest postseason scoring total.
Yet after the win, Wembanyama downplayed the idea of an emotional breakthrough.
“We just did what we needed to do and the series is far from over,” Wembanyama said. “We got six more wins before we can rest.”
The 7-foot-4 centerpiece framed the response as execution rather than emotion after San Antonio’s 123-108 Game 3 loss, which marked the team’s first deficit of the postseason.
“I didn’t really wonder,” Wembanyama said when asked what he expected from the Spurs after falling behind in the series. “We didn’t do nothing unexpected. But the truth is that we had never been in this kind of situation before. It was our first deficit in a playoff series and we just responded.”
Defense sat at the center of the turnaround. The Thunder entered Game 4 averaging more than 117 points per game in the playoffs but struggled to generate rhythm against a connected Spurs defense that crowded passing lanes and pressured shooters.
“I’m not going to get into details, but in general being more disciplined and just trusting the game plan even more,” Wembanyama said of what changed defensively.
He also emphasized how collective trust makes aggressive defense possible.
“That’s super important and pretty much everybody would do that if they could trust that the rotations are there behind,” Wembanyama said of active hands and passing-lane pressure. “When we connect individual and team defense, it holds teams to low scoring numbers.”
San Antonio opened with another fast start, jumping ahead 23-8 during a 16-0 run and never trailing. Wembanyama said the Spurs’ aggressive opening identity matters, but sustaining it matters more.
“I feel like with who we are, we need to start games like this,” he said. “But it really doesn’t mean anything for the way it holds. It helps for sure, but it’s a whole other type of effort to be consistent rather than just hitting first.”
Wembanyama’s own response stood out after he said following Game 3 that he needed to do more to help teammates. He admitted improvement was necessary but said perfection was never the expectation.
“We all have high standards,” Wembanyama said. “I know I have a lot of responsibilities, but I’m here for it. It was better today. It wasn’t perfect.”
The French star also credited the playoff chess match, particularly the coaching staff’s role as the series deepens.
“It’s very fun to play in the playoffs,” Wembanyama said. “At some point, especially when a series drags on, everybody knows the other team almost by heart.”
He added: “The coaching staff and all the strategy — it’s a lot. They do a lot of film. They work really hard.”
With San Antonio able to rest starters late in a blowout, Wembanyama welcomed every edge before Tuesday’s pivotal Game 5 in Oklahoma City.
“We’ll take anything we get, any advantage, any edge,” he said. “We need to rest.”
