Game On: Sports News, Highlights & Commentary
- The San Antonio Spurs won 111-103, advancing to the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks; Game 1 is Wednesday in San Antonio.
- Victor Wembanyama was named series MVP and finished Game 7 with 22 points and seven rebounds, visibly emotional.
- Julian Champagnie scored 20 points, hitting six three-pointers, while Luke Kornet blocked a key rim attempt in the fourth quarter.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points and had nine assists, but no Thunder teammate exceeded 20 points.
- The Thunder missed Jalen Williams with a hamstring injury; the Spurs sealed the win with a late breakaway dunk and remain confident.
For large parts of this season, many wondered if the Oklahoma City Thunder had any weaknesses. One thing the reigning champions didn’t have was Victor Wembanyama, who led the San Antonio Spurs to a Game 7 victory in the Western Conference finals.
The Spurs’ 111-103 victory on Saturday night means they will face the New York Knicks in the NBA finals, with Game 1 set for Wednesday in San Antonio.
It would be a disservice to Wembanyama’s teammates to say the result was solely down to the 7ft 4in Frenchman, though. Julian Champagnie scored 20 points, including six three-pointers, Dylan Harper looked dangerous whenever he came off the bench and Wembanyama’s backup, Luke Kornet, pulled off a brilliant block at the rim in the fourth quarter as the Thunder threatened a comeback. Wembanyama finished the game with 22 points and seven rebounds.
“They don’t know how much I love them, and everyone stepped up tonight,” the 22-year-old said of his teammates.
The Thunder, who were without Jalen Williams due to a hamstring injury, fought hard even as the clock ticked down but they were forced to take hopeful threes from well outside the arc and the Spurs had the final say with a breakaway dunk.
Wembanyama was named the series MVP and was in tears at the end of the game.
“Realizing that some part of a childhood dream is going to come true,” said Wembanyama when he was asked why he had been so emotional as his team clinched their place in the finals. “We’re still hungry, we want more. This feeling is so powerful, I can’t explain it”.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA MVP, was typically brilliant for the Thunder, scoring 35 points and dishing out nine assists. But none of his teammates scored more than 20 as they relinquished their title.
“You have to grow from every experience, including the tough ones,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “And it’s the NBA – there are tough ones. We can also be really disappointed … There’s nobody that we don’t think we can beat, respectfully.”
As for the Spurs, they are confident of the road ahead. They may also be cheered by history: the last time the Knicks made the NBA finals, in 1999, they faced the Spurs, who won the series 4-1.
“We never knew if we were going to get this far but when you’ve got the greatest player in the world things happen,” said Champagnie after the game.
It was hard to disagree.
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