Wembanyama scores 33 as Spurs beat Thunder to even Western Conference finals

Victor Wembanyama scored 33 points to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 103-82 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, tying the NBA Western Conference finals at 2-2.

The 22-year-old, 7-foot-4 Frenchman made 11 of 22 shots from the floor, 3 of 7 three-pointers, and added 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals in 31 minutes for the Spurs on Sunday.

“I needed to find ways to impact the game in many aspects,” Wembanyama said. “I have a lot of responsibility, but I’m ready for it. All of us will have to do things we didn’t expect.”

Host San Antonio leveled the best-of-seven playoff series, with Game Five set for Tuesday in Oklahoma City and Game Six back in San Antonio on Thursday.

“This is the first time we’ve been down in a playoff series. We responded,” Wembanyama said. “It wasn’t great. It wasn’t magic. We just did what needed to be done. The series is far from over.”

Wembanyama knows what the Spurs need to do to win an NBA title.

“We have six more wins before we can rest,” he said.

The Spurs are seeking their first NBA Finals appearance since winning the championship in 2014, while the Thunder hope to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since Golden State in 2017-2018.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said Wembanyama played aggressively to help San Antonio avoid falling into a 3-1 deficit.

“Our competitive response throughout the season has been pretty good, and he’s been at the forefront,” Johnson said. “Tonight he felt an obligation to set the tone for us in different ways. His aggressive play was a reflection of that… I think he wants that responsibility. He was born for it.”

The Thunder had been undefeated on the road in the playoffs this year but were stopped in their bid to go 6-0 by a stout defensive effort from the Spurs.

“Whenever we can turn defense into offense, off turnovers and rebounding, that’s when we’re at our best,” Johnson said. “We can get out and play with pace. Our activity tonight was great, and we’ll need to be even better as the series goes on.”

The Spurs extended their lead to as many as 25 points, while the Thunder led by just one point.

“I won’t get into details, but overall, it’s about more discipline and trusting the game plan even more,” Wembanyama said about the secret behind the Spurs’ defensive effort.

The NBA Defensive Player of the Year also noted the defensive coordination as the Spurs forced 17 turnovers and recorded 11 steals.

“That’s super important,” Wembanyama said. “We have good defenders, and when we connect, we can hold teams to low points.”

NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 19 points.

Oklahoma City had the most wins in the NBA this season with 64, while the Spurs were second with 62 victories.

Wembanyama hit a half-court shot at the buzzer — the longest shot of his career — to give the Spurs a 50-38 halftime lead, and he had 22 points in the first half.

“I was just thinking to shoot to score,” Wembanyama said. “I’m not joking.”

The Spurs opened the third quarter with a 15-5 run to take their largest lead at that point, 65-43, and Oklahoma City could not catch San Antonio from there.

“We needed that momentum going into the second half,” San Antonio’s Devin Vassell said of Wembanyama’s half-court shot.

Vassell and Stephon Castle each scored 13 points for the Spurs, while De’Aaron Fox added 12 points and 10 rebounds.