Victor Wembanyama took control from the outset in Game 4, leaving no doubt about the outcome. The Thunder struggled with the Spurs’ adjustments and had a disastrous offensive night.
Before the fourth matchup in the Western Conference Finals, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal had a clear demand: «Wemby needs to do more. In Game 1, he had 41 points and 24 rebounds, and they won. In Game 2, it was 21 and then 26. That’s not enough.»
In Game 4, Victor Wembanyama scored 33 points (11/22 FG, 3/7 3FG, 8/9 FT). This was more than enough for the San Antonio Spurs’ home victory, as the Oklahoma City Thunder struggled to make shots.
San Antonio Spurs (W2) — Oklahoma City Thunder (W1) 103:82 — Series: 2-2
The night started poorly for the defending champions. Jalen Williams was sidelined again with hamstring issues, and backup Ajay Mitchell is now likely to miss the rest of the series with a calf strain. OKC coach Mark Daigneault moved Cason Wallace into the starting lineup.
After the Spurs had an outstanding 15-0 run to start Game 3, this time it was a 16-0 run midway through the first quarter that gave San Antonio a commanding 23-8 lead. The Thunder managed to close the gap to 19-28 by the end of the first quarter, but they trailed for the remainder of the game.
«They delivered a blow to us early on,» admitted MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander afterward. «I feel like we need starts like this,» explained MVP contender Wembanyama on the other side. Wemby took matters into his own hands from the beginning, taking four shots in the first three and a half minutes and having a hand in every play as either a scorer or facilitator by the first-quarter break, with 17 points. The ball moved well for the Spurs, who had 10 field goals and 10 assists after twelve minutes.
OKC’s Horror First Half — Wemby Hits from Half-Court
Meanwhile, nothing worked for OKC. By halftime, the Thunder had only managed 38 points, their second-worst first-half performance in the last four years (regular season and playoffs). They made only one of eleven three-pointers, Isaiah Hartenstein was their leading scorer (12 PTS), and their previously strong bench contributed only three points.
To top it off, Wemby provided the highlight of the night just before the break. With only three seconds left, the Frenchman drove from his own half and pulled up from the half-court line as the buzzer sounded – a buzzer-beater!
WEMBY’S UNBELIEVABLE HALFCOURT SHOT TO BEAT THE FIRST HALF BUZZER 😱 pic.twitter.com/XTsPnPmXoI
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 25, 2026
These were the most spectacular of his 33 points, which he also enhanced with 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals. With a +29 rating, the Frenchman naturally had the best plus-minus in the game.
Spurs Shot Poorly — Thunder’s Shooting Was Catastrophic
Given the defensive masterclass, great scoring support wasn’t needed for this comfortable home win. Devin Vassell, with 13 points, was the Spurs’ second-highest scorer. The backcourt duo of Stephon Castle (13 PTS, 3 REB, 6 AST, 1 TO) and De’Aaron Fox (12 PTS, 10 REB, 5 AST, 0 TO) played almost error-free, making it less impactful that Julian Champagnie (2 PTS, 1/7 FG, 0/5 3FG) as well as Keldon Johnson (6 PTS, 3/12 FG, 0/4 3FG) and Harrison Barnes (5 PTS, 0/4 FG, 0/2 3FG) were bricking shot after shot.
Overall, San Antonio had a below-average shooting night (38.9 FG%, 27.3 3FG%). However, the Thunder shot significantly worse (33.0 FG%, 18.2 3FG%). Unsurprisingly, not a single player from the reigning champions broke the 20-point mark.
SGA still managed 19 points (6/15 FG, 7/7 FT) and 7 assists, but he couldn’t dominate as a playmaker as he had in the previous two wins. The Spurs opted not to double-team the point guard early and defended the Canadian more often and longer in isolation. «We made a great defensive adjustment,» Vassell stated with satisfaction. «I don’t want to reveal exactly what it was, but we were able to rotate to shooters better and didn’t allow them as many open threes.»
In Game 3, many of the Thunder’s role players exploded from downtown, with OKC’s bench alone scoring 76 points. In Game 4, where Oklahoma City scored a total of just 82 points (the second-lowest postseason total in franchise history), they had only 34 from the bench. Jaylin Williams, for example, made only one of his seven shots from distance, while Jared McCain missed all five. Alex Caruso, who had been channeling Stephen Curry, only attempted one three-pointer (and missed).
The starters also contributed too little. Hartenstein went scoreless in the second half and finished with 12 points (6/11 FG), 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Chet Holmgren narrowly missed a double-double (10 PTS, 9 REB), and Lu Dort scored 2 points. Wallace was also ineffective with 5 points (2/8 FG).
For Game 5, the series shifts back to the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Wednesday night. «It’s now 2-2. So, really 0-0. It’s about who gets to two wins first,» Gilgeous-Alexander analyzed the situation. And Wembanyama stated, «The series is far from over.»