The San Antonio Spurs had a heavenly boost in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals as nuns blessed one of their players before dominating the OKC Thunder, 103-82, to tie the series.
Nuns from the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco in San Antonio were in the building during the game. They even blessed and prayed over Luka Kornet, a catholic, during warmups.
The nuns were also cheering the Spurs throughout the game as San Antonio tallied their first win at their home floor in the series.
Kornet was asked about the nuns’ presence and blessing before the game. Kornet opened up about the moment with a hilarious statement.
“1-0. Pretty good results,” Kornet said after the game.
Kornet played 13 minutes in the game and had six points, three rebounds, and one steal as the Spurs put on a defensive clinic to contain the Thunder.
The nuns first got viral in the second round of the playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the Spurs’ home games. Now, they returned to see the Spurs’ best performance in the Western Conference Finals after going down 2-1 in the series.
Nuns’ lore with the San Antonio Spurs
GettyGame 4 see the nuns bless the Spurs.
The Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco have been a constant supporter of the Spurs since 2000. In an interview with Sojourner, the nuns said that they were avid fans of the Spurs since Tim Duncan’s prime days.
“It started about 20 years ago,” Sr. Bernadette Mota said. “We had a couple elder sisters at our provincial house, our retirement house for our sisters who need assisted living. Some of them were born and raised in San Antonio, and anytime there was a game on they would watch it. And they would get very irritated when the game had to be turned off because it was bedtime.”
For them, it is part of their mission to connect with the youth. They have built a connection with former Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.
“We like watching sports because our mission is with young people and so in order to connect with the youth we need to know what they like. Then we can converse with them and introduce them to who we like: Jesus,” she said.
“In the past, the sisters who were big die-hard fans, one of them, who has since passed away, was able to build a connection with coach Gregg Popovich. Him and his wife came and visited the convent a couple times just to show their appreciation.”
Game 4 was their first appearance in the series. In Game 3, the Spurs lost by 15 points against the Thunder.
Series Goes Back to Oklahoma City for Game 5
GettyGame 5 will be in Oklahoma City.
Game 5 is expected to be a crucial one for both teams as the series becomes virtually a best-of-three.
Game 5 will be in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder has split their first two games of the series.
The Thunder has missed Jalen Williams (hamstring) and Ajay Mitchell (calf) in Game 4. It remains to be seen if they will be fielded during the pivotal Game 5.
Meanwhile, the Spurs played through injuries such as those of De’Aaron Fox (ankle), and Dylan Harper (adductor).
Game 5 will be on Tuesday, May 26, at the Paycom Center.
San Antonio Spurs Now 1-0 When Blessed By Nuns