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The Oklahoma City Thunder are just one win away from a second straight NBA Finals berth. The Western Conference finals shifted back to Oklahoma City on Tuesday night, with the defending league champions pulling away in the second half for a 127-114 victory in Game 5.
Reigning two-time NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 32 points and nine assists on Tuesday night.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder watches during the fourth quarter of Game Five against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Western Conference Finals at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 26, 2026. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Stephon Castle led the Spurs with 24 points and five rebounds, while Victor Wembanyama finished with a game-low 20 points.
Entering Tuesday, the Spurs seemed to follow a relatively simple formula for success in the Western Conference Finals: When Wembanyama was the best player on the floor, they won. When he wasn’t, they lost.
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama looks on during the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Wembanyama, who had 41- and 33-point performances in the Spurs’ two wins earlier in the series, never seemed to quite find his rhythm in Game 5. He was 4-for-15 from the floor and missed all five of his 3-point attempts.
He offered an impassioned speech to teammates during a timeout barely two minutes into the third quarter after the Thunder opened an 18-point lead. And it worked – to a point. Oklahoma City scored again to push the lead up to 20, but the Spurs closed within eight later in the third.
Elsewhere, the New York Knicks will have to wait until at least Thursday to find out which team emerges from the Western Conference.
Jared McCain of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrates during the fourth quarter of Game Five against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Western Conference Finals at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on May 26, 2026. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Even before Game 5 of the Spurs-Thunder series tipped, San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson was asked about Knicks fans in Manhattan chanting, “We want Wemby! We want Wemby!”
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“I know New York is on fire. They won, so the city is obviously enjoying it, and they’ve had a heck of a playoff game,” Johnson said. “But unfortunately I’ve been pretty stuck on what we have going on right here in front of us.”
