While the New York Knicks rest after clinching their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999, the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs meet for a pivotal Game 6 at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC. The defending champion Thunder took a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals with a decisive Game 5 in which role players stepped up in the absence of Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, while Spurs star Victor Wembanyama struggled.
History favors Oklahoma City. This was the seventh time the Thunder have won a Game 5 in a series tied 2-2, and in the six previous instances they went on to win the series. The Spurs, conversely, have lost Game 5 in a 2-2 series for the 10th time and have only come back to win once in those nine earlier chances — the 2008 conference semifinals against the New Orleans Hornets, according to ESPN.
Containing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been San Antonio’s primary game plan. He has averaged 26.2 points while shooting 38.8% from the field through five games, as the Spurs have rotated primary defenders and used aggressive schemes to slow him, according to ESPN. Gilgeous-Alexander has shot under 50% in three consecutive games for the first time all season, yet he has flourished as a facilitator this postseason, averaging 8.2 assists overall and 9.8 in the West finals. Tim MacMahon noted the Thunder could still need an MVP-caliber performance from the two-time MVP to finish off a formidable Spurs club.
San Antonio’s path to a Game 7 runs through Victor Wembanyama. He produced 41 points and 24 rebounds in a double-overtime Game 1 and 33 points in Game 4 — performances that coincided with the Spurs’ two wins. Wembanyama took only 15 shots in Game 5; Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said, “He’s got to take more than 15 shots. Even with the [12] free throws [he took], he’s going to have to score more than 20 points for sure.” Oklahoma City connected on 49% of its shots with Wembanyama on the court in Game 5, the best field-goal percentage against the 22-year-old this postseason, according to ESPN Research. Michael C. Wright wrote that Wembanyama must display more consistent dominance for the Spurs to stave off elimination.
Game 6 will determine whether the Thunder complete the series at home or the Spurs force a decisive Game 7. The result will hinge on whether Oklahoma City’s supporting cast can repeat Game 5’s contributions and whether San Antonio gets a bounce-back performance from its All-NBA center.
