Isaiah Hartenstein gave the Oklahoma City Thunder the kind of heavy frontcourt shift they needed Wednesday night, logging 27 minutes in a 122-113 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 that tied the Western Conference Finals at 1-1.
Hartenstein finished with 10 points, 13 rebounds, eight of them on the offensive glass, and three assists. He also spent the most minutes defending Victor Wembanyama, according to NBA.com box score data, and the Thunder were better for it after falling behind in the series two days earlier.
The change was deliberate. Mark Daigneault said before Game 2 that it did not feel good to play Hartenstein only 12 minutes in Game 1, and he told him at practice Tuesday to be ready for more. Hartenstein said Daigneault essentially apologized and told him his number would be called more while the team tried something different.
That different look mattered because Game 1 had put the Thunder under pressure. Wembanyama erupted for 41 points, 24 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in San Antonio’s double-overtime win Monday, and Oklahoma City wanted to make him absorb more size and strength over a longer stretch. Hartenstein, at 7-foot and 267 pounds, fit that assignment.
On Wednesday, Wembanyama still produced: 21 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and four blocks. He also had four turnovers, and San Antonio finished with 21 turnovers that turned into 27 Thunder points. The Spurs’ star scored 10 of his points in the paint, but Oklahoma City kept making him work for position and possessions.
Alex Caruso said Hartenstein was physical and kept Wembanyama working all game, calling it beneficial for him on the glass late. That showed up when Hartenstein cleaned up possessions on both ends and helped the Thunder close out a game that was tight enough to keep the series level.
Daigneault praised Hartenstein afterward as a player who does what he does, calling him an ultimate compete-together player and a big-time team guy who would rather give an assist than score. He pointed to the center’s physicality, rebounding and screening as the kind of traits that fit a modern big man. In this game, those traits were enough to tilt the night without overwhelming the box score.
The numbers from Isaiah Hartenstein stats do not jump off the page the way Wembanyama’s did in Game 1, but Wednesday’s result came from the quieter kind of impact Oklahoma City had been looking for. With the series now even, the Thunder have already shown they are willing to change the matchup minute by minute if it gives them a better chance to keep Wembanyama from taking over again.
