The San Antonio Spurs responded to their Game 3 blowout loss with a dominant defensive effort on Sunday night, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-82 in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals to level the series at 2-2.
Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and three blocks, while San Antonio held the Thunder to their lowest playoff scoring output since 2020. Oklahoma City shot just 33% from the field and 18% from 3-point range, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finishing with 19 points on 6-of-15 shooting.
The Spurs’ defensive performance drew praise from former NFL star and analyst Shannon Sharpe, who highlighted San Antonio’s combination of perimeter defense and rim protection while discussing the game on the “Nightcap Show.”
Shannon Sharpe Praises San Antonio Spurs Defense After Game 4
GettyShannon Sharpe on Spurs defense in game 4
Sharpe said the Spurs have a defensive setup unlike any other team in the NBA right now.
“San Antonio, they showed you tonight. They got three or four guys that can defend at an elite level,” Sharpe said. “And they got something in the back that nobody else in the NBA has. I don’t know if we’ve seen a team where they can defend like they can on the perimeter and they still have protection in the back.”
Sharpe compared the Spurs’ defense to an all-time elite baseball defense featuring Hall of Fame-caliber players at every position.
“They showed you tonight they got three or four guys that can defend elite level and they got something in the back that nobody else in the NBA has. I don’t know if we’ve seen a team where they can defend like they can on the perimeter
“It’s almost like if you’re playing baseball, you got Ozzie Smith at shortstop. You got Pudge Rodriguez behind the plate,” Sharpe said. “You got Brooks Robinson at third base … and then you got Greg Maddux on the mound.”
He also pointed to one possession where San Antonio’s defensive rotations disrupted Oklahoma City repeatedly.
“I saw a situation they shot the ball, they got the rebound, boom. They go up against, shoot it again, they pass it out there, boom, guess what, they got the rebound again,” Sharpe said. “They tried to throw a cross-court [pass], Vassell said, ‘I know where you’re going with this thing.’ Picked it. Down the other way.”
San Antonio made major defensive adjustments after losing Game 3 by 15 points. According to the analysis following the game, coach Mitch Johnson reduced aggressive double teams on Gilgeous-Alexander and trusted defenders such as Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and Devin Vassell to guard him more often one-on-one while help defenders crowded driving lanes.
The strategy worked. Oklahoma City’s role players struggled after combining for 68 points and 12 three-pointers in Game 3. Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, Jaylin Williams, and Jared McCain scored just 12 combined points in Game 4.
Victor Wembanyama Leads Spurs Response Against Oklahoma City Thunder
GettySan Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama celebrates the 103-82 win
Wembanyama set the tone early and throughout the game.
The Spurs star scored or assisted on 17 first-quarter points and capped the first half with a 40-foot buzzer-beater from near center court.
“I was just thinking shoot to score. I wasn’t messing around,” Wembanyama said.
He later said San Antonio’s response came from urgency after falling behind in the series for the first time this postseason.
“We didn’t do nothing unexpected, but the truth is we had never been in this kind of situation before,” Wembanyama said. “It was our first deficit in a playoff series, and we just responded.”
De’Aaron Fox said the team wanted a stronger mentality after the Game 3 loss, especially following a locker room message from former Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
“Even if we lost this game, as long as we came in with the right mentality and played the right way, we could be OK with losing the game,” Fox said. “The way that we lost [Game 3] I think hurt more than losing the game.”
Stephon Castle said San Antonio focused on defensive discipline after reviewing film.
“We really paid attention to detail a lot better than Game 3,” Castle said. “[Hitting first] just feeds energy throughout the team, especially defensively.”
The series now shifts back to Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Tuesday night with the Western Conference finals tied 2-2.
Shannon Sharpe Claims Spurs Have Something No Other NBA Team Has After Game 4 Win