How Victor Wembanyama Willed Spurs to Series-Saving Game 4 Victory Over Thunder

SAN ANTONIO — Victor Wembanyama has the same routine every pregame.

Around 45 minutes until tipoff, the 7-footer emerges from whichever tunnel the San Antonio Spurs claim, usually the one closest to their locker room. If he's at home, he'll high-five as many fans as he can in the four steps it takes him to reach the hardwood.

Wembanyama then leans on the stanchion. With as much force as he can, he stretches against the foam with a trainer at his hip. Later, the trainer will push him around.

If the force isn't enough, Wembanyama will tell him: "Don't be shy," he implies with his hands. Once the basketball gets involves, the Frenchman is all over the court. He shoots from the corner. Near the rim. From midrange. And, to cap it off, from half court.

The best verbiage a local columnist came up with to describe the latter exercise? "Messing around." Mostly on account of the fact that he doesn't seem to make many from that range.

Sunday night was different. Against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, Wembanyama's season was on the line. And his squad needed a quick boost heading back to its locker room at halftime.

"I was thinking shoot to score," Wembanyama explained, having pulled up from 42 feet at the first half buzzer to give the Spurs a 12-point lead. "I wasn't messing around at halftime."

May 24, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) stretches before Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals for the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Frost Bank Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Wembanyama finished Sunday evening with 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocks in 31 minutes, including the halftime buzzer-beater that marked the longest make of his career. In blowout fashion, he sat the final eight minutes of the fourth quarter.

Beyond his shot, however, nothing screamed "miracle" to Wembanyama.

"It was our first deficit in the playoff series, and we just responded," he said. "It was nothing amazing, it wasn't magic, we just did what we needed to do."

Each game of the West Finals has taken on a personality of its own. Game 1, marked by the first 40-20 outing of Wembanyama's career, saw a rock fight between two squads with genuine title aspirations. The double-overtime thriller paved the way for two straight Thunder wins; in one, the Spurs were marred by injuries. They couldn't score in the other.

The Thunder took a turn facing the latter issue in Game 4. Shooting just 33 percent from the floor and 18 percent from 3 ultimately sank its chances at a win, but perhaps more concerning was how the Spurs created discomfort more than it self-inflicted wounds.

Even expecting that kind of response from a team desperately trying to avoid hitting the road down 3-1 in the most important series of its career, the Thunder fell short.

"We didn’t have the sharpness, force or precision necessary to crack them," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "They were really good defensively ... they outplayed us tonight."

May 24, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) drives the ball in the first quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder during Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals for the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Frost Bank Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City hadn't been held to under 90 points in a game since 2022. It hadn't lost a game by more than 20 points in the playoffs since Game 3 of the second round against the Minnesota Timberwolves a year ago. Even then, it broke 100 points.

"We can’t rely on it being our best day to win basketball games," Chet Holmgren said.

The biggest disparity between Game 4 and the other games of the series, beside the Thunder missing both Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, came in the form of the Spurs' defensive scheme. Specifically, forcing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — who finished the evening with only 19 points and seven free throws — to play in space.

Contesting without fouling was a point of emphasis for San Antonio when facing the back-to-back league MVP. Wembanyama spearheaded the push to execute it properly, in a way that proved more effective than it had in the three games prior.

"I think our competitive response all year has been pretty good," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said, crediting his 22-year-old superstar, "and (Wembanyama has) been at the forefront of that ... I think, tonight, he felt ... an obligation to set a tone for us."

With every shot he made, Wembanyama pressed on. He knew the game plan. He knew his teammates knew the game plan. It was up to them to beat the Thunder in every aspect of every game, even if the feat seemed impossible to the outside world.

That's the lesson the Spurs have taken with them through three rounds.

"Experience does not matter," Devin Vassell said. "We're here. We've had all the experience we've needed ... and we're going to keep proving everybody wrong."

Emerging from the tunnel closest to the Spurs' locker room Sunday night, Wembanyama high-fived the fans waiting for him. He hit the stanchion, encouraged his trainer to hit him harder and then sprawled out to every corner of the court while shooting.

Doing anything differently with his season on the line would have been an overreaction, as he explained in French. Rather, he felt secure trusting the game plan that got him there.

If the game plan requires him to score at will, he'll plan accordingly. If it requires him to hit another halfcourt buzzer beater, he'll try his best. But he is sure of one thing:

"The series is far from over," Wembanyama said. "We've got six wins until we can rest."

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