The San Antonio Spurs tried socking the Oklahoma City Thunder in the mouth early in Game 4.
That plan was working well. Until it didn’t any longer.
The Spurs jumped on the Thunder to the tune of a 15-0 run to start the game. It felt like this was going to be one of those playoff games a home team rides through and through on the back of its crowd’s contagious energy.
But the Thunder scratched, clawed and flipped the Spurs on their backsides until the game was officially out of reach in the final minutes of regulation.
Entering Game 4, the Spurs know it’s a virtual must-win. But according to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News, the Spurs also have a pressing Victor Wembanyama problem.
And it’s that he can’t be on the floor all 48 minutes.
“In the 39 minutes Wembanyama spent on the floor [in Game 4], the Spurs outscored the Thunder by four,” McDonald wrote. “They lost the game in the nine measly minutes Wembanyama needed a breather. The Thunder won those minutes by 19. Heading into a Game 4 on Sunday at the Frost Bank Center that will make or break the Spurs’ chances of staying in the series, the fix is simple.”
Spurs Struggling to Compete With OKC Without Victor Wembanyama
GettyOKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – MAY 18: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs reacts during the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game One of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center on May 18, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
What Wembanyama did in Game 1 now feels like a lost memory.
The Spurs have endured back-to-back losses. The Thunder seem to have found a reasonable answer for Wembanyama in not allowing him to score or shoot at will.
In the last two games, the Thunder have shown a gear the Spurs have not been taught yet. The defending champs flexed their championship pedigree and the unshaken mentality in the lows of a game.
When Wembanyama is on the floor, the Spurs often look like a totally different team, but as head coach Mitch Johnson put it, “We can’t play him 48 minutes.”
According to McDonald, the Thunder are outscoring the Spurs by a whopping 42 points the non-Wembanyama minutes in the series. If the Spurs lose Sunday night, it’ll likely be because of a recurring theme.
Understanding the Urgency of Game 4
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – MAY 22: De’aaron Fox #4 of the San Antonio Spurs reacts during the first quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Three of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Frost Bank Center on May 22, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
The Spurs, as fresh-faced and unexposed they may, realize Game 4 is the biggest game of their season.
Wembanyama, the 22-year-old in his first postseason run, spoke the words of a true veteran after the Game 3 loss.
“Of course there are going to be trials,” Wembanyama said. “We’re going to see what we are made of.”
The Thunder weathered the Spurs storm. The Spurs tried weathering the Thunder storm. Only the road team was truly successful.
And it often did it while taking advantage of Wembanyama sitting on the bench.
“You can’t lose by 20 in those (non-Wembanyama) minutes,” Johnson said. “Even as great as a team as they are, and they’re giving you that much resistance and putting you in tough spots on the defensive end, you’ve still got to help yourselves.”
In the end, San Antnio was unable to hinder the conga line that was the Thunder bench. When one blue jersey sits, another rises. When one leaves with eight points and three steals, another comes in and logs nine points and four steals.
Oklahoma City is 8-0 in Game 4s under sixth-year head coach Mark Daigneault. The champs have all the momentum and appear to have found a gameplan they’re comfortable with.
The series continues in San Antonio with a massive Game 4 on tap.
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