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Posts tagged as “Thunder”

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

Watch the Final 5-Mins of West Conference Semifinals between OKC and Lakers

The Thunder defeated the Lakers, 115-110 tonight in Los Angeles. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a team-high 35 points along with 8 assists for the Thunder, while Ajay Mitchell tallied 28 points, 4 steals and 4 assists in the game. Austin Reaves recorded 27 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. The Thunder win the series 4-0.

You can read the story – OKC Sweeps Lakers to Advance to Western Conference Finals; SGA Drops 35

OKC Sweeps Lakers to Advance to Western Conference Finals; SGA Drops 35

The Oklahoma City Thunder have officially punched their ticket to the Western Conference Finals after completing a dominant sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers. In a high-octane, high-scoring affair where both teams cleared the 110-point mark, OKC maintained their perfect postseason record. The Thunder remain undefeated through two rounds of the NBA Playoffs, cementing their status as the team to beat in the West.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander once again proved why he is an MVP candidate, leading the way with a stellar 35 points and 8 assists. He was flanked by a breakout performance from Ajay Mitchell, who was instrumental in the clinching victory with 28 points.

While Chet Holmgren had a relatively quiet night by his standards, he came alive when it mattered most. Holmgren scored 8 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, providing the crucial scoring punch needed to hold off a late Lakers surge.

The Lakers didn’t go down without a fight, keeping the score close until the final minutes. However, a string of late-game turnovers and missed opportunities ultimately cost them the season.

The trio of LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, and Austin Reaves carried the load, accounting for 76 of the Lakers’ 110 points. LeBron James, finished with a double-double, adding 12 rebounds to his scoring total. Austin Reaves contributed across the board with 7 rebounds and 6 assists.

With their season now over, Los Angeles enters a pivotal offseason. The front office faces a massive decision regarding the franchise’s direction—most notably whether to rebuild or continue building around the 39-year-old James.

Game Highlights;

The Thunder will now enjoy some much-needed rest while they await the winner of the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. San Antonio Spurs series. With that matchup appearing likely to go the full seven games, OKC will have the advantage of fresh legs heading into the next round.

OKC win over the Lakers to secure Home court (125 – 107)

Jeff Zillgitt, reporting for NBA.COM;

The Los Angeles Lakers led the Oklahoma City Thunder at halftime and had a five-point lead early in the third quarter.

It looked like the Lakers were playing well enough to make it anyone’s game in the fourth quarter. That didn’t happen because the Thunder did what they have done all season – control the third quarter.

The Thunder owned the league’s best third-quarter net rating during the regular season, outscoring opponents by 10.9 points per 100 possessions.

By the time the third quarter ended, the Thunder were up 13 points – and on their way to a 125-107 victory over the Lakers in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series Thursday.

Game 3 and 4 will be Los Angeles, which will give the Lakers, especially the bench, some confidence to face the defending champs.

Game highlights;

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;

Fever’s Caitlin Clark Joins NBC’s “Basketball Night in America”

Indiana Fever phenom Caitlin Clark is taking her “logo threes” energy to the broadcast booth. NBC announced that Clark will join the Basketball Night in America team as a special contributor for two (2) NBA games; February 1st and March 29th, at the Madison Square Garden, New York City.

  • February 1 Game: Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks
  • March 29 Game: New York Knicks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

Clark will provide pregame analysis alongside host Maria Taylor and a legendary trio: Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady.

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.

Pacers Blow Out Thunder to Force winner takes all Game 7

The Indiana Pacers routed the OKC Thunder to force a Game 7 in the 2025 NBA Finals. The Pacers had a slow start, being down 2–10, but then went on a 26–15 run to close the 1st quarter with a 28–25 lead. In the second quarter, the Pacers tightened their defense by limiting the Thunder to just 17 points while scoring 36. The quarter was punctuated by a Haliburton steal and a no-look pass to Siakam, who posterized Jalen Williams with a jam.

It was a total team effort for the Pacers, with six players scoring in double figures. Tyrese Haliburton, who was playing with a strained calf aggravated in Game 5, had 14 points and 5 assists. Obi Toppin scored a team-high 20 points, with 4-of-7 from the 3-point line off the bench. Despite having the tough assignment of guarding league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he was able to score 17 points and 4 assists. Pascal Siakam added 16 points and 13 rebounds.

The second half was no different from the first. The Pacers again limited OKC to just 18 points in the 3rd period while building a 30-point lead entering the 4th quarter. By the start of the 4th, OKC Head Coach Mark Daigneault took out most of his starting lineup. Even though they managed to score 31 points in the final period and limited the Pacers to just 18 points, the lead was too much for OKC to overcome.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC with a modest 21 points, followed by Jalen Williams with 16 points, after scoring 40 points in Game 5.

Game Highlights

This will be the first Game 7 in the NBA Finals since 2016, and it will be in Oklahoma City this Sunday. History will be on OKC’s side, as home teams are 15-4 in Finals Game 7s, but the last team to win a Game 7 was the visiting team.

Pacers takes Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Finals to take 2 – 1 lead (116 – 107)

The Pacers are two games away from hoisting the Larry O’Brien in Indiana. They defeated the OKC Thunder with big contributions from the bench players, particularly Bennedict Mathurin and T.J. McConnell.

Mathurin led the Pacers with 27 points, followed by Tyrese Haliburton, who was one rebound away from a triple-double with 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 11 assists. Pascal Siakam added 21 points and 6 rebounds. But it was McConnell’s presence on the defensive end that made the difference; he scored 10 points and added 5 steals, an NBA Finals record.

It was a very close game, where the biggest lead by either team was just 9 points. But in the 4th quarter, the Indiana Pacers tightened their defense and limited Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to just 3 field goal attempts and OKC as a team to just 18 points against the 32 points by the Pacers.

Except for Cason Wallace, every OKC starter had double-digit points, led by Jalen Williams with 26 points and 6 rebounds, while the league MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, scored 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Chet Holmgren added 20 points and 10 rebounds. But that same OKC team was limited by the Pacers’ defense to just 7 points in the last 5 minutes of the game.

Game 4 will still be at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana, where OKC will try to even the series and prevent the Pacers from going up 3-1 in the NBA Finals.

Oklahoma City Thunder routs Minnesota Timberwolves to advance to the 2025 NBA Finals (124 – 94)

The Oklahoma City Thunder will advance to the 2025 NBA Finals waiting for the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Knicks and Pacers. The OKC took control of the game early and ended it in the first half where the Thunder build a 33-point lead at the half. The last time OKC went to the NBA Finals was in the 2011–12 season, with a young Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook.

Recently crowned league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lead OKC with 34 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists in just 34 mins of playtime. Chet Holmgren added 22 points, 7 rebounds with 3 blocks. Jalen Williams and Luguentz Dort added 19 points and 12 points, respectively. OKC need 4 more win to take home the Larry O’Brien trophy. The last time OKC went to the NBA Finals was in the 2011–12 season, with a young Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook.

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.

Golden State Warriors beat OKC Thunder 136-125 behind Curry’s 34 points

After a slow start, Steph Curry and the Warriors just secured another win to keep them out of the Play-in tournament.

Both team played little to no defence in the first half, OKC was able to score 79 points in the first two qtr, while the GSW scored 69 points. Warriors Coach Steve Keer have nothing but praises for OKC during the Postgame Interview.

In the second half, Golden State;’s defense improved by limiting the Thunder to just 27 points in the 3rd and 19 in the 4th qtr, while maintaining offense. Even thought the Warriors are without Klay Thompson, Steph Curry, who scored a team high of 34 points, with six 3-pointers, had a lot of help most notably from Jordan Poole, scoring 30 points, on a 42% field goal and making five 3-pointers, then there’s Moses Moody, who contributed 13 points from the bench, Draymond Green chipped-in 17 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and a pair of blocks and steals.

The win moves the Warrior in the 5th place, two place above the 7th place and out of the play-in tournament, and just 1 game ahead of the LA Clippers and Lakers, who are currently in the 6th and 7th place, respectively.

After scoring 21 points in the first half, OKC Superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished the game with 32 points, making only 11 points for the rest of the game. Rookie Jalen Williams added 19 points but the Thunder still lost their third game in a row and fourth out of five.

OKC will visit Utah for their last two games of the season, as they try to salvage their season to be in the play-in tournament.

Golden State Warriors will be at Sacramento on Friday night, which can be a preview in the 1st round of the playoffs between the 6th and 3rd seed of the Western Conference.

Steph Curry (34 PTS) & Jordan Poole (30 PTS) Combine For 64 Points