San Antonio Spurs vs Oklahoma City Thunder Game 7: Spurs advance to finals with 111-103 win

In the end, it was San Antonio that showed poise under pressure. In the end, it was the Spurs that were the more physical team in the last two games.

It is the San Antonio Spurs that are headed to the NBA Finals.

San Antonio beat Oklahoma City 111-103, executing better down the stretch than the defending champs.

Victor Wembanyama scored 22 points and had seven rebounds, but the unsung hero was Julian Champagnie, who drained six 3-pointers on his way to 20 points.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 35 points with nine assists. However, there was a play in the final minute when he could have driven and gone for a dunk, but saw Wemby and kicked out, wasting time and an opportunity. It summed up the Thunder for much of the night.

Wembanyama was named Western Conference Finals MVP.

The experienced Thunder are not making the big plays, the “inexperienced” Spurs are.

It’s 109-103 Spurs with 42.9 seconds left. The Thunder are going to need a minor miracle — and some Spurs errors — at this point.

The Thunder cut the lead to six, but a Luke Kornet block of a Hartenstein 3, another Champagnie 3 and another offensive rebound for the Spurs (14 this game) make it an 11-point game.

Mark Daignault burned his last timeout because he had to. It’s 104-93 Spurs with 4:26 left.

Can the Spurs hang on? OKC will make one more run.

The Wembanyama fifth foul changed the vibe. The Thunder are a little more fearless.

A 5-0 OKC run and it’s 97-91 Spurs, with more than half the fourth quarter remaining.

He challenged Isaiah Hartenstein on a dunk and fouled him. Wembanyama has one foul left, and you can be sure the Thunder are going to pick some spots to go at him.

San Antonio is eight minutes away from a return to the NBA Finals.

The Spurs have gone on a 17-9 run to open the fourth quarter and lead by 11, 97-86, with eight minutes left.

If the Thunder are going to turn this around, they need to string together some stops, something they have not done consistently all night (outside a run late in the second quarter).

The Spurs’ shooting has come back to earth from 3, and we are heading into the fourth quarter with San Antonio up three, 80-77.

Julian Champagnie and his five 3-pointers lead the Spurs in scoring with 17. Wembanyama has 16 points and seven rebounds.

Gilgeous-Alexander leads all scorers with 31 on 10-of-17 shooting (9-of-11 at the free throw line). The rest of the Thunder starters have 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting combined.

That can’t be said enough.

The Thunder trailed 79-74 when Mark Daignault challenged a foul on Alex Caruso (would have been his third) with two minutes left in the third quarter.

The Thunder won both of their challenges, but now do not have one down the stretch in the fourth quarter.

San Antonio had its lead up to double-digits, but Gilgeous-Alexander drew a couple of shooting fouls, Caruso got fouled fighting for a rebound while the Thunder were in the bonus, and its’ 77-74 Spurs with 2:34 left in the third quarter.

Oklahoma City has struggled in the minutes Lu Dort and Isaiah Hartenstein have shared the floor (Dort is -11, Hartenstein -18).

They were out there for an 8-0 San Antonio run and it’s 73-65 after a couple of Champagnie 3-pointers.

The new starting lineup for the Thunder worked, they didn’t fall into another hole.

It’s 63-63 with 8:03 left in third.

Something to watch: Thunder have done a much better job starting in the second quarter of screening for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and getting Julian Champagnie (or Devin Vassell) switched on to him. Both of those Spurs are good defenders, but they bother SGA a lot less than the physicality of Castle.

Less than four minutes into the third quarter of Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, the Spurs and Thunder are tied at 63.

Victor Wembanyama provided one of the highlights of Game 7 with an impressive one-handed dunk on two Thunder defenders.

For most players, taking off from just outside the paint for a poster dunk would be incredibly challenging. Wemby made it look easy.

Better late than never. After another ugly start to the game, Mark Daignault got the message and switched up his group to start the second half.

It’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, Jaylin Williams and Chat Holmgren.

This is the fifth Game 7 of the playoffs (tying a league record), but it is shaping up to be the only good one.

The closest so far was Philadelphia’s 109-100 win over Boston in the first round, and that didn’t exactly feel close. Every other one was double digits, including Cleveland by 29 in Detroit.

We’ll see what happens in the second half of this game, but it is shaping up to be a classic.

San Antonio closed the first half on a 7-0 run, due to a couple of turnovers and one “what was that” shot from Alex Caruso, and its Spurs 56-53 at the half.

It’s going to be an intense second half after the Spurs raced out to a double-digit lead early (again), and the Thunder had to expend a lot of energy to walk them down. OKC got the lead back, then played a poor final 60 seconds to go down at the half.

The Spurs are 7-of-17 (41.2%) from 3-point range and have turned eight Thunder turnovers into 10 points. Castle leads the Spurs with 12 points but on 5-of-11 shooting. Wembanyama has 10 points (4-of-9 shooting), and Fox has 10 on 4-of-6 from the floor.

The Thunder finally started getting some stops and got back into it despite shooting 5-of-18 (27.8%) from 3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting and started to take over late in the first half. Jared McCain has 10 points.

It’s ironic that the Thunder first took the lead in Game 7 on a Lu Dort 3 after he struggled so much with his shot so much all series.

Devin Vassell is headed to the line after a sloppy Caruso turnover became a foul on the other end.

That said, the Thunder are finding their legs and have gone on a 11-2 run (pre free throws) to cut the lead to two, 44-42.

And with that, it got even louder in this building.

In case you missed it pregame, the Bob Costas Game 7 intro was perfect.

Stats worth noting:

• Spurs are 6-of-13 (46.3%)from 3.
• Thunder are 4-of-16 (25%) from 3.
• Thunder are just +2 in non-Wembanyama minutes.
• The Thunder have committed twice as many turnovers (6-3), but both teams have seven points off those turnovers.
• The only two players who have scored in double digits yet are Gilgeous-Alexander (11) and McCain (10).

The Thunder keep making little runs, then things like a too-open Victor Wembanyama 3-pointer pushes the lead back up to nine. Wembanyama with eight points on 3-of-4 from the floor.

Spurs up 40-31 with 8:57 left in the first half.

Once again this series, the Thunder find themselves trying to dig out of a hole.

San Antonio shot 57.1% and hit 4-of-8 from 3 and lead by seven, 32-25, after one quarter. Castle leads the Spurs with nine points, and Wembanyama has five points on 2-of-3 shooting.

Oklahoma City has to start getting stops. Jared McCain leads the Thunder in scoring with eight off the bench, including a couple of 3-pointers.

Mark Daignault has become the master of this in these playoffs: Challenging a call not just to get it overturned, but to give the officials a chance to review a call and put a foul on an opposing player.

Wembanyama tried to drive on Isaiah Hartenstein, and while Hartenstein got called for the initial foul, a review showed Wemby got his arm up and hit Hartenstein in the face.

Then Daignault picked up a technical for barking at the officials.

The Spurs came out playing with energy and authority, starting with Wemby.

The Spurs pushed their lead out to 14 in the first quarter, but a quick 5-0 Thunder run has Mitch Johnson calling a time out to slow that role.

Early key: Spurs are playing so much faster than Thunder. The Spurs are getting stops and steals (seven points off five OKC turnovers), and their made baskets have the Thunder playing against set defenses. In every game they have won this series, OKC has scored at least 20 points off San Antonio turnovers, so far they have zero.

This is what the Thunder could not afford, to have to dig out of another early hole.

San Antonio is 8-of-12 from the floor, 2-of-4 from 3, and with eight of their points in the paint. The Spurs’ confidence is growing with every possession.

Meanwhile, the Thunder have already turned the ball over four times and are 0-for-2 from 3. OKC has climbed out of these early holes before in the series, but this is a tough way to start.

Another hot start from the Spurs and they are out to a fast 8-4 lead.

UPDATE: Make that 5-of-5 and 10-4 San Antonio.

This feels momentous.

The Thunder crowd is more than up for the moment. Will their team be?

The Thunder are the defending champions, led by the two-time MVP, yet they head into Saturday night both on the brink of elimination — and as the team coming in playing a little worse.

That puts all the pressure on Oklahoma City and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Game 7.

The Thunder have handled this kind of pressure before, and they have been a better team at home, but this feels different. The Thunder aren’t healthy, the Spurs are (or are at least closer). Gilgeous-Alexander entered the playoffs as the guy poised to knock Nikola Jokic off the mythical “best player on the planet” perch, but now Victor Wembanyama looks more impactful and like that guy. The Thunder have looked a little more off-balance in this series.

Maybe all that goes away after the final buzzer of Game 7, but heading into it — and years ahead of these two teams facing off in the playoffs — the pressure is on the Thunder to maintain their status and get the win.

The Thunder, who are once again without Jalen Williams (hamstring) and Ajay Mitchell (calf), have made a change to their starting lineup.

Instead of Jared McCain, who started Games 5 and 6, Cason Wallace will be the fifth starter for the final game of the Western Conference Finals.

Wallace started Game 4 but did not offer much production, tallying five points, four rebounds, one assist and two steals in 21 minutes. McCain will still play plenty due to what he brings to the table as a playmaker and scorer. Those are areas in which Oklahoma City has taken a hit due to the absence of J-Dub and Mitchell.

In addition to Wallace, the Thunder will start Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.

As for the Spurs, they’ll stick with their usual starting lineup of De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie and Victor Wembanyama.

The San Antonio Spurs have made it as difficult for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as any team in the past two years. While the back-to-back MVP is still averaging 24.3 points and 8.8 assists a game, he’s struggled with his shooting (37.9% for the series, 26.1% from 3-point range) and has had some stretches with too many turnovers. The Spurs have settled on a strategy with a primary defender on him — starting with Stephon Castle — and not bringing help until he reaches a dangerous spot on the floor.

How is Gilgeous-Alexander handling a rough series for him on such a big stage?

“What I’ve seen from Shai is the same thing I’ve seen from Shai for six years — he’s the same guy in every situation,” Thunder coach Mark Daignault said. “I think how grounded he stays when he’s having success is what allows him to stay very present and neutral when he’s working through it. At the end of the day, there’s no player I’d rather have on the team than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a game seven in the Western Conference Finals.”

Spurs lead assistant and defensive coordinator Sean Sweeney will be the next head coach of the Orlando Magic.

That’s not announced as official — technically the sides are still talking — but everything is in place. Sweeney will stay with San Antonio through the rest of the Spurs’ run, however long that lasts, but after that, he will head to central Florida for his new job. Before Game 7, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson talked about it.

“Thrilled for Sean, he deserves it,” Johnson said. “He’s had many opportunities of potentially becoming a head coach, and so it was a matter of when, not if...

“Happy for Orlando, happy for us, he’s in the Eastern Conference, but thrilled for Sean. I think it’s a really good situation. I know some people over there, I think it’ll be a really good fit, and well deserved, and very happy for him.”

What are the things to watch for, and what will determine which of these teams will advance to the NBA Finals? Here are some keys to keep an eye on.

• Victor Wembanyama vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. It sounds a bit simplistic, but it’s been true throughout the series: whichever of Wemby or SGA scores the most points, their team wins. (In Game 3, both scored 26, a Thunder win.)

• Thunder injuries. Both Jalen Williams (hamstring) and Ajay Mitchell (calf) are out for Oklahoma City in Game 7. Williams tried to play in Game 6 but played only 10 minutes and was clearly not right.

• Do Spurs race out to another early lead? With Williams and Mitchell out, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault has been forced into a starting five over the last couple of games of Gilgeous-Alexander, Jared McCain, Lu Dort, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein — and that lineup has struggled. Allowing the Spurs to race out to early leads. The Thunder cannot afford that again.

• Can the Thunder force turnovers, get out in transition? Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder have struggled against the Spurs’ set defense in the half-court, but all season long, their offense was fueled by forcing turnovers and getting transition points before a defense locks in. In every game they have won this series, the Thunder have scored at least 20 points off turnovers. It’s something to note.

• Alex Caruso or Dylan Harper? Which super-sub has the best game?

Being at home, Oklahoma City is a slight favorite in Game 7, as one might expect. Here are the odds for Game 7, via our partners at DraftKings:

Game Odds: Thunder -3.5
Moneyline: Thunder -145, Spurs +124
Over/Under: 212.5

Just a few notes on Game 7s.

• Home teams are 26-12 (.684) in conference finals Game 7s (excluding the bubble).
• Overall, home teams are 115-40 (74.2%) in Game 7s.
• The last time the teams with the best records in the NBA met in a Game 7 was 2002 in the Western Conference Finals, when the 58-win Lakers led by Shaq and Kobe beat the 61-win Kings.
• Oklahoma City won two Game 7s at home on its way to last year’s title (Denver and Indiana).
• If San Antonio wins Game 7, it would become the third road team to win a Game 7 in these playoffs (Cavaliers over Pistons, 76ers over Celtics), which would be a record for a single postseason.
• Oklahoma City is 4-1 in Game 7s historically (since relocating to OKC, we’re not counting the Seattle years or the loss in the bubble). All four of those wins are at home.