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Posts tagged as “SGA”

Spurs dethrone Thunder in Game 7 to make NBA Finals  

ESPN News Services;

Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs started the Western Conference finals with a win in Oklahoma City, then ended the series the same way.

The defending champions are dethroned. Wembanyama and the Spurs are headed to the NBA Finals.

Wembanyama scored 22 points, Julian Champagnie scored 18 of his 20 from beyond the arc, and the Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 on Saturday night — bucking heavy odds to win a Game 7 on the road.

The Spurs will face the waiting NY Knicks in the NBA Finals. Spurs will host game 1 and game 2 of the NBA Finals starting this June 3rd.

The Spurs defeated the Thunder, 111-103 in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals and advanced to the NBA Finals

The Spurs will face the New York Knicks and Game 1 of the NBA Finals will be taking place in San Antonio on Wednesday, June 3rd at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

ICYMI: Wembanyama, Spurs send the West finals back to Oklahoma City for Game 7, routing the Thunder 118-91  

By RAUL DOMINGUEZ – Associated Press via nba.com’

Victor Wembanyama had 28 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks and the San Antonio Spurs sent the Western Conference finals back to Oklahoma City for Game 7, routing the Thunder 118-91 on Thursday night.

Game 7 is Saturday night in Oklahoma City, with the winner hosting the New York Knicks on Wednesday night to open the NBA Finals.

Aside from the Game 1 classic,, the series has been a blowout, and I’m hoping Game 7 will be nearly as exciting as Game 1.

Wemby highlights for Game 6;

Victor Wembanyama is the 1st player in Spurs franchise history to have 25+ PTS, 10+ REB, multiple steals and multiple blocks when facing elimination.

Thunder clap back into command of West Finals with Game 5 win  

Jeff Zillgitt, reporting for NBA.COM;

The Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t reach 69 points in Game 4 until 5:04 remained in the game.

They matched that total by halftime of Game 5 as the Thunder constructed their best offensive game of the Western Conference Finals and defeated the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 Tuesday for a 3-2 series lead.

Two-time Kia MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander overcame a turnover-plagued start and scored at least 30 points for the second time in the series; the Thunder’s two 7-footers, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein produced offensively and limited Victor Wembanyama’s dominance in the paint; and Thunder coach Mark Daigneault’s change to the lineup paid dividends for the starters and the bench.

Playing with the force that Daigneault said was missing in their Game 4 loss, the defending champions are one victory from a return trip to the NBA Finals.

This series has become a classic where neither team does not want to give up and neither coach does run out of adjustment to make. It’ll be interesting what adjustment will the Spurs make in game 6, to extend this to a winner take all game 7.

Victor Wembanyama Erupts for 33 as Spurs Dismantle the Thunder in Game 4, Evens Series at 2-2

Fresh off his first career All-NBA First Team nod, Victor Wembanyama sent a clear, unmissable message to the Oklahoma City Thunder: the San Antonio Spurs aren’t going anywhere.

In a pivotal Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals at the Frost Bank Center on Sunday night, the 22-year-old phenom was simply unstoppable. Wembanyama orchestrated a 33-point masterpiece, grabbing 8 rebounds, dishing 5 assists, and swatting 3 shots to lead the Spurs in a thorough 103-82 dismantlement of the Thunder, knotting the series at 2-2.

San Antonio took control early, leading wire-to-wire and winning every single quarter. Wembanyama imposed his will on both ends of the floor for over 31 minutes, shooting 50% from the field and 42.9% from deep. He even punctuated the first half with a breathtaking logo three-pointer at the buzzer, blowing the roof off the arena.

Oklahoma City had absolutely no answers. With Jalen Williams sidelined by injury, the Thunder’s lethal offense completely sputtered against San Antonio’s defensive adjustments. Locked in on every possession, the Spurs’ defense racked up 11 steals and 10 blocks, forcing 17 costly turnovers and holding OKC to its lowest scoring total of the entire season on a dismal 33% shooting from the floor.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was choked out for a quiet 19 points on 6-of-15 shooting, finishing with a brutal minus-18 rating, while Chet Holmgren was held to just 10 points. The Thunder’s biggest lead all night was a lone point, while San Antonio pushed their advantage to as many as 25.

Meanwhile, Spurs rookie Stephon Castle provided crucial defensive energy alongside 13 points and 6 assists, while Dylan Harper flashed brilliance with 7 points with 5 rebounds, and veteran guard De’Aaron Fox steadied the ship with a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double.

More Wembanyama highlights;

The series now heads back to Paycom Center for a massive Game 5 in Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.

ICYMI: Recap: Thunder dominate to secure 2-1 lead in Western Conference Finals  

NBA;

Oklahoma City secured a 2-1 lead in the West Finals behind SGA (26 pts, 12 ast) and playoff career-highs from Jaylin Williams (18 pts, 5 3PM) and Jared McCain (24 pts). With their 76-23 advantage in bench scoring in Game 3, the Thunder’s second unit now holds a +119 scoring differential over San Antonio through three contests. OKC’s bench is putting up historic numbers.

This is OKC reminding everyone why they’re the defending champs!

Game 4 in San Antonio is a must win for the Spurs or else, the series will be over by game 5 when it shifts back to OKC.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 30, Thunder top Spurs 122-113 in Game 2 of West finals  

Ap on ESPN;

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bounced back from a subpar series opener to score 30 points, Alex Caruso added 17 off the bench and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the San Antonio Spurs 122-113 on Wednesday night in Game 2.

Chet Holmgren scored 13 points and reserves Jared McCain and Cason Wallace each had 12 for Oklahoma City. The Thunder finished with a 57-25 edge in bench scoring, plus a 27-10 advantage in points off turnovers.

Now that the series tied, next two games will be in San Antonio and will now be a best of 5 series. OKC will try and get back home court advantage as they go to an equally hostile Spurs crowd.

Game highlights or the to 10 plays og WCF;

Spurs steal Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals from OKC in double OT (122 – 115)

Ap on ESPN;

Victor Wembanyama had 41 points and 24 rebounds, Dylan Harper finished with 24 points and a team playoff-record seven steals, and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-115 in a double-overtime classic to open the Western Conference finals Monday night.

A monster game by Victor Wembanyama, and we have not seen a player produce those numbers in a long time, these are Wilt Chamberlain numbers!!!

This series could be one of those NBA classic games that you get to rewatch over and over again, or a sweep for OKC!

If you missed Game 1 of the WCF, you can watch the extended full game 1 high lights that the NBA just released.

Enjoy!

Game 2 will remain in OKC this Wednesday evening as they look to even the series.

NBA created a 30-mins highlight reel of SGA

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a year of firsts.

On Sunday, he made history with a second.

After a season that saw SGA place himself among the game’s all-time greats – or, in some cases, in a tier all by himself – the Thunder guard just became the 7th player this century and 14th ever to win back-to-back Kia NBA MVP Awards.

Joining Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, LeBron James (2x), Tim Duncan and fellow Canadian Steve Nash as back-to-back winners since 2000, the two-time reigning Kia NBA MVP now leads the Thunder against the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.

But first, how did SGA bring his game to another level in 2025-26? He…

  • Set the NBA record for most consecutive 20+ pt games, breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s record
  • Became the first player since Wilt (1963-64) with 20+ pts in every regular season game, with a minimum of 50 games
  • Joined Michael Jordan as the only guards with at least 30+ PPG on 50+ FG% in four straight years
  • Became the only guard in NBA history to average 30+ PPG on 55%+ shooting
  • Led the league in total Clutch points, earning Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year honors
  • Had the highest +/- in the NBA (+788) by more than 100 points

Chet Holmgren leads OKC in a win over Lakers (108 – 90)

AP on ESPN;

Chet Holmgren had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Los Angeles Lakers 108-90 on Tuesday night in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell each added 18 points for the Thunder. The defending champions improved to 5-0 in the playoffs, despite missing 2025 All-Star Jalen Williams with an injured left hamstring for the third straight game. The Thunder shot 49.4% from the field and made 13 of 30 3-pointers.

Oklahoma City will host Game 2 on Thursday.

It was a close game, with OKC holding only a 10-point lead entering the second half. The Lakers even cut the deficit to just four points (64–68) midway through the third quarter, but that’s when the Thunder stepped on the gas. They built a 12-point cushion heading into the fourth and were never threatened again.

Game highlights;

OKC Sweeps Phoenix Suns (131 – 122)

DAVID BRANDT – AP Sports Writer and as posted on NBA.com;

The Thunder closed the series with an overwhelming offensive performance – making 17 of 34 (50%) 3-pointers – and their big men played particularly well. The 7-foot-1 Holmgren shot 9 of 16 from the field and grabbed 12 rebounds, while the 7-foot Isaiah Hartenstein added 18 points and 12 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end.

OKC will face the winner of Lakers – Rockets match for their opponent in 2nd round of the NBA Playoffs.

Oklahoma City Thunder are the 2025 NBA Champions

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated an undermanned Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy. Pacers are without their star Tyrese Haliburton who suffered a torn right Achilles tendon in the opening quarter of Game 7.

Even though the Pacers kept the game close in the first three quarters, it was apparent that the absence of Haliburton affected the team. In the final period of the game the Pacers were unable to score for four and a half minutes, by the time they made their first basket, OKC was already enjoying a 20-point lead with 7:29 remaining in the game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lead the team with 29 points, 5 rebounds and 12 assists, he’s also took home the Bill Russell trophy for winning the Finals MVP. Aside from winning both the Regular Season and Finals MVP awards, Shai is also this year’s Scoring Champion with 32.7 ppg. Before this season, the feat of winning the Regular Season MVP, Finals MVP, and scoring title in one season had only been achieved by four players in NBA history: Jordan (four times), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971, and Shaquille O’Neal in 2000.

Shai got a lot of help from Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren who scored 20 points and 18 points, respectively. Five OKC players scored double digits points the includes Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace who scored 10 points, apiece.

ICYMI: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the 2024-25 NBA Most Valuable Player

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander basically bagged the MVP award when OKC defeated the Nuggets in the semis of the Western Conference Playoff.

From NBA.Com;

A seven-year veteran, Gilgeous-Alexander won the NBA scoring title for the first time. He became the first player to lead the league in games with at least 20 points (75), 30 points (49), 40 points (13) and 50 points (four) in a season since James Harden in 2018-19.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s only regular-season game with fewer than 20 points was an 18-point performance against the San Antonio Spurs on Oct. 30, 2024. He scored at least 20 points in each of his final 72 games, the longest streak at any point in a single season since 1963-64 (when Wilt Chamberlain recorded an 80-game streak and Oscar Robertson had a 76-game streak).

The 6-foot-6 Gilgeous-Alexander shot 51.9% from the field, a career-high 37.5% from three-point range and 89.8% from the free throw line (sixth in the NBA). He made an NBA-leading 601 free throws and a personal-best 163 three-pointers, 68 more threes than his previous career high of 95, set last season.

Gilgeous-Alexander joined Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to average at least 32.0 points and 6.0 assists per game and shoot 50.0% or better from the field in a season. Jordan accomplished the feat twice, in the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons.

OKC are currently 2-1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves and are the favorites to come out of the West and to win the Larry O’Brien this year. You can view the complete voting results here.