Victor Wembanyama wiped away tears as the San Antonio Spurs closed out the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 in Game 7 on the road, sending a young team to the NBA Finals. The win ended the Thunder’s title defense and set up a Finals meeting with the New York Knicks.
Wembanyama finished with 22 points and seven rebounds, but he was far from alone. De'Aaron Fox, Julian Champagne, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Dylan Harper and Keldon Johnson all scored in double figures as San Antonio kept finding answers every time Oklahoma City pressed.
The result landed hardest because the Thunder still got a huge night from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 35 points in 43 minutes, and it was not enough. Chet Holmgren managed only four points on two field-goal attempts in 33 minutes, a sharp drop-off that left Oklahoma City leaning too heavily on one star, while Reggie Miller noted Holmgren had not taken a shot in the second half and Jamal Crawford pointed out that Gilgeous-Alexander had gotten little help from the other All-Star on the team.
Oklahoma City entered the game as the reigning NBA champions, but the gap in support showed when the pressure peaked. The Thunder were also without Jalen Williams, who was sidelined by a hamstring injury, and Ajay Mitchell, who missed the game with a calf issue. That left Gilgeous-Alexander carrying the offense almost alone, while San Antonio’s depth kept the score from tilting back in the Thunder’s favor.
Holmgren and Wembanyama have been building a rivalry through their early NBA careers and all the way back to FIBA junior battles, and this meeting only sharpened it. For now, though, the bigger story is San Antonio’s arrival. The Spurs are headed to the NBA Finals, and the next test is the New York Knicks.
