Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has plenty of memorable quotes, and yet none feel more relevant than a line he delivered back in March.
“I have the answers to the test, but I’ve gotta see the questions first,” Gilgeous-Alexander said when asked if he knew what he wanted to do before hitting a game-winning 3-pointer against Denver.
Now, Gilgeous-Alexander has been presented with a new question. One that’s as difficult as any he has faced all season.
How can OKC bounce back against San Antonio?
That’s what Gilgeous-Alexander and company have to figure out after falling short in dramatic fashion Monday, suffering a 122-115 double-overtime home loss to begin their Western Conference finals series against the Spurs. Fortunately, the Thunder enjoys brainstorming.
“That’s what this time of year is about,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s the highest level of basketball. You’re going to find out exactly what type of player you are, what type of competitor you are and exactly what you need to get better at. It’s no different this time around.”
The tough test that is San Antonio begins with Victor Wembanyama.
Facing the 7-foot-4 forward feels like taking the bar exam since he makes opponents question if what he does should even be legal. Like when he uses his 8-foot wingspan to swat a shot he has no business swatting.
Wembanyama’s mere presence around the rim was enough to deter OKC’s downhill scorers at times. Gilgeous-Alexander is as fearless of a finisher as you’ll find, and yet he frequently found himself kicking the ball out after getting into the paint. It’s a big reason why he only scored four points on 1-for-5 shooting during the first half.
His teammates shared that hesitance early on. Of course, decisions have to be made quickly on the court. But even during the blur of a drive toward the rim, it’s impossible to miss someone like Wembanyama.
“A lot,” Thunder forward Jalen Williams said when asked how much Wembanyama is on his mind when making decisions with the ball. “He’s like 8 feet.”
Gilgeous-Alexander’s first half was questionable. But, to his credit, he had some answers after that.
There’s no getting around Wembanyama’s defensive dominance, so the two-time MVP went at him instead. He capitalized when he was switched off of Stephon Castle, another elite defender, and got to the rim for finishes or drawn fouls.
Gilgeous-Alexander ended the night with 24 points and 12 assists on 7-for-23 shooting from the field (2 for 7 from deep) in 51 minutes. He recorded 30 drives in the process. That’s 11 more than Dylan Harper and Castle, who tied for the second-highest total.
“It’s obviously challenging,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of going at Wembanyama. “He’s very tall, very long and he deters a lot of things at the rim. You’ve got to be smart when you go in there. Be patient but also be aggressive and don’t be too timid in there. I think you get caught worrying about it too much and you lose aggression, and that’s when they really get a stranglehold on the game. You’ve got to be able to be aggressive but also be smart.”
Wembanyama also posed a problem for the Thunder on the other end, where he racked up 41 points to go along with 24 rebounds on 14-for-25 shooting from the field.
OKC began the game by giving that assignment to Williams, a 6-5 forward who can scale up defensively. But the domino effect created tricky matchups for its bigs, leading Isaiah Hartenstein to only play 12 minutes while the team went smaller. And the game plan fell short.
Wembanyama went a combined 10 for 12 from the field (83.3%) when defended by Williams, Alex Caruso or Lu Dort. He minimized the efforts of the All-NBA defenders with his sheer size.
The one player who gave Wembanyama some problems was Chet Holmgren, a 7-1 freak of nature in his own right. Someone who can at least get a hand in his face and sometimes on the ball, like when he blocked Wembanyama’s game-winning shot attempt at the end of regulation.
Wembanyama only went 6 for 12 from the field when defended by Holmgren. It’s an encouraging sign for OKC as the rest of the series unfolds.
“He’s a great player with high impact, obviously,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said of Wembanyama. “When you play against those players, it’s kind of an acquired thing. You learn it as you go. We’ve gone through that with other great players where you develop a feel. You can talk about it as much as you want, but you’ve got to be able to develop a feel for it. I thought we played him in such a condensed period of time that we actually caught a little bit of a groove as we went earlier in the season.
“We’ve got to do that again. We have to get better from this game. But he’s a great player, obviously.”
Of course, Wembanyama isn’t the only Spurs player that the Thunder has to find answers for.
Harper erupted for 24 points, 11 rebounds, seven steals and six assists in the absence of De’Aaron Fox (right ankle soreness). His activity in passing lanes led to some uncharacteristic mistakes by OKC, which committed 15 turnovers. Castle also shined as an on-ball defender by making life difficult for Gilgeous-Alexander.
There’s no question that San Antonio is a complete basketball team. One that poses a real threat to the reigning NBA champions.
But Daigneault delivered a memorable quote of his own after the game.
“There’s a reason they are where they are,” Daigneault said of the Spurs. “But there’s a reason we are where we are, and one of the things I love about this team is our problem solving.”
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
Thunder vs. Spurs
GAME 2 TIPOFF: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City (NBC, Peacock)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder brainstorming ideas to solve puzzle of Wemby, Spurs
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