The heroes of the victory were Victor Wembanyama and Julian Champagnie, who knocked down the defending champions and led their team to fight for the ring for the first time since 2014.
“I can’t describe this feeling. Something incredible,” Wembanyama said after the game. The French phenomenon led the Spurs with 22 points, while Julian Champagnie added 20, including 18 from the three-point line. As many as seven Spurs players scored double-digit points. In addition to the aforementioned, there were also Stephon Castle with 16, De’Aaron Fox with 15, Dylan Harper with 12, and Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell with 11 points each.
SERIES W! pic.twitter.com/AFhzVSi1yE
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 31, 2026
In the grand final, which begins on Wednesday, the Spurs will host the New York Knicks in the first game.
“Back in October, we knew we had the potential to become a very good team,” said Mitch Johnson, the coach of the Spurs, confirming that the belief in success existed from the very beginning of the season.
The deciding moment came midway through the final quarter. With the Spurs in the lead, Luke Kornet stopped Isaiah Hartenstein at the rim with a great block and prevented a Thunder counterattack that would have brought the hosts closer to just four points behind. Although Kornet scored only two points in six minutes on the floor, his block broke the champion’s last rush.
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
@NBAonNBC pic.twitter.com/vcOnkbElMb
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 31, 2026
At Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander excelled again with 35 points and nine assists, but it was not enough to avoid defeat. This made it clear that the NBA will get a new champion for the eighth season in a row. Cason Wallace scored 17 points, and Jared McCain and Alex Caruso added 12 each. The home team’s work was made even more difficult by the absence of the injured Jalen Williams, reports Index.
After four games in the series that were decided even before the last part, the seventh match lived up to expectations. The Spurs led 80:77 entering the last quarter. During the match, they had a 14-point advantage in the first half and 11 in the third quarter, but the persistent Thunder managed to get back into the game both times. However, they no longer had the strength for the third turn in the last section.
San Antonio won eight of the 12 head-to-head matches against the Thunder this season, but in the end, only this last, most important one counted.
“We want four more victories. We are not done yet,” said Wembanyama at the end.
(Vijesti.ba)
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