SAN ANTONIO — The Spurs didn’t look like they were on their dying breath Thursday night.
Instead of gasping for air, San Antonio stuck its chest out. And it pressed it right up against OKC.
After rejecting Chet Holmgren’s dunk attempt during the second quarter, a fired-up Devin Vassell let him hear it. He then gave Holmgren a shove with both hands and purposely bumped into him before sizing up the 7-footer.
San Antonio was far from finished in Game 6 despite being on the verge of elimination. It handed OKC a 118-91 loss to force Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals at 7 p.m. CT Saturday on NBC and Peacock.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 15 points and four assists on 6-for-18 shooting. Holmgren added 10 points and 11 rebounds on 4-for-8 shooting.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
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Jalen Williams returned from left hamstring strain injury management
The sound of Jalen Williams’ footsteps were drowned out by the blaring music inside Frost Bank Center, but that didn’t matter.
The star forward didn’t have to make any noise to make his presence known as he jogged through the tunnel for pregame warmups. Everyone was already eagerly waiting to see him.
All eyes were on Williams, who was a true game-time decision Thursday after missing the last three contests due to left hamstring strain injury management. And after participating in warmups, he ultimately opted to give it a go.
Williams came off the bench for the first time since his rookie season. He finished with a modest stat line of one point and one assist on 0-for-1 shooting from the field in 10 minutes.
Still, those numbers don’t reflect just how impressive his performance was. They don’t show the resiliency of a player who has gutted it out all season despite a nagging right shooting wrist injury and multiple strains on each hamstring.
Victor Wembanyama enforced his will early and often
Victor Wembanyama was ready to seize the moment as soon as the game started.
That was clear when he set a screen and popped out to the perimeter during San Antonio’s second possession. He immediately flashed his oversized hands, eager to secure a pass, and Stephon Castle obliged.
Wembanyama then let it fly without hesitation and watched as the ball found the bottom of the net.
It was a statement start by a player who went silent during Tuesday’s Game 5, where he only scored 20 points on 4-for-15 shooting from the field (0 for 5) in a losing effort. And he continued to enforce his will with San Antonio’s season on the line.
Wembanyama racked up 28 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in 28 minutes. He went 10 for 21 from the field (4 for 9 from deep).
San Antonio took care of the rock
Lu Dort could probably poke the ball away from most players, including ones from other sports.
The 6-4, 220-pound guard was likely a linebacker in another life. And he swipes down on the ball with so much power that even the most secure running backs would struggle not to fumble.
But Dort tried to punch the ball out of Castle’s hands to no avail midway through the fourth quarter. It didn’t even matter that he made contact with the forearm of the sophomore guard, who still went up strong for an and-one layup.
Castle wasn’t the only Spurs player who was secure with the rock Thursday. San Antonio only committed 13 turnovers, which matched OKC and was well below its series average of 17.4.
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 7 TIPOFF: 7 p.m. CT Saturday at Paycom Center in San Antonio (NBC and Peacock)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Thunder, Spurs headed to WCF Game 7 after Wembanyama, San Antonio roll
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