Thunder poised to close out Spurs in Western Conference Finals
Oklahoma City looks to extend its historical dominance in tied series as San Antonio seeks to force a decisive Game 7 against the back-to-back MVP winner and his squad.
The Oklahoma City Thunder hold a 3-2 series lead over the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 NBA Western Conference Finals, setting the stage for a decisive Game 6 on 28 May 2026 at 8:30 p.m. ET, broadcast on NBC. As the defending champions, the Thunder aim to close out the series and advance to the NBA Finals, while the Spurs seek to force a Game 7. The New York Knicks have clinched their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999 and are currently resting ahead of their series.
Oklahoma City secured its advantage with a decisive Game 5 victory, where role players stepped up in the absence of Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell. Historical data indicates a strong trend for the Thunder in this scenario; they have won six of their previous seven Game 5 victories in tied series. Conversely, San Antonio has won only one of nine previous Game 5 losses in tied series, with their sole comeback occurring in the 2008 conference semifinals against the New Orleans Hornets.
The matchup centres on the performance of Thunder back-to-back MVP winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander against San Antonio’s defensive schemes. Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 26.2 points while shooting 38.8% from the field in the five games, shooting below 50% from the field in three consecutive games for the first time all season. The Spurs have rotated an arsenal of primary defenders and used aggressive schemes to slow him, yet he has flourished as a facilitator, averaging 8.2 assists including 9.8 in the West finals.
For San Antonio to stave off elimination, star centre Victor Wembanyama must improve his offensive output and defensive presence. Wembanyama struggled in Game 5, leaving the arena without speaking to reporters. In the Spurs' two wins, he averaged 14.5 shots from within 5 feet, compared to just 5.3 in their three losses. ESPN Research noted that Oklahoma City connected on 49% of its shots with him on the court in Game 5, the best field goal percentage achieved this postseason against the 22-year-old.
Supporting players have also played a critical role in the series dynamics. Alex Caruso is averaging 17.0 points per game in the conference finals, including a playoff career-high 31 points in Game 1 and 22 in Game 5. Meanwhile, ESPN scouts noted that Spurs guards De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper are "not themselves" in the losses, with the team struggling to make shots when Wembanyama is not at his peak.
