Victor Wembanyama eclipses 20-year Tim Duncan record to set up mouth-watering Game 7 vs OKC
The San Antonio Spurs have forced a Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals.
The Spurs blew out the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-91 in Game 6 on Thursday night in San Antonio to level the series at 3-3 and send it to Sunday’s deciding game.
Victor Wembanyama, as he has throughout the playoffs, was the star of the show for the Spurs, putting up 28 points to go along with ten rebounds and three blocks.
San Antonio is now just one win away from reaching their first NBA Finals since 2014, with the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks awaiting the winner.
Wembanyama makes Spurs history and surpasses Tim Duncan
Wembanyama and the Spurs responded to a tough Game 5 defeat, where the officiating was strongly questioned, with their most energised outing of the series so far.
Wembanyama set the tone from tip-off, hitting two 3-pointers and blocking a Jared McCain shot in the first minute and a half of the contest.
By the end of the first half, he had more shot attempts (16) than he did in all of Game 5 (15), and had 22 points after finishing with 20 on Tuesday night.
The momentum never ceased – OKC never led in Game 6 – marking their first playoff loss without holding a lead since Game 1 of the 2016 Western Conference semifinals against the Spurs, according to ESPN.
The win was Wemby’s eighth game with 25+ points and multiple blocks this postseason, the most in Spurs history, surpassing Tim Duncan’s record in 2005 and 2006.
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson praised Wembanyama for his passion and desire.
“He’s not always perfect and we’ve got to get him help at times,” Johnson said.
“Obviously he’s 22 years old. But his passion and desire for being right where he is, at the forefront of it all, to take the responsibility, the role and the burden of what he does, I don’t know what else to say.
“He is comfortable with that regardless of the outcome and what that may look like.
“That’s maybe his biggest growth this year: not waiting for it to be perfect or to necessarily know what to do all the time, but attack the moment, have the right approach and live with the results.”
Wembanyama credits desperation in season-salvaging win
Wembanyama was evidently frustrated after the Game 5 defeat as he declined to speak to reporters.
He didn’t have much to say after the season-saving win, either, but indicated there was a clear driving force behind the dominant win.
“[Playing with desperation] just feels like it erases kind of all the little mistakes that we do that are human nature, whether it’s in the regular season or previous games,” said Wembanyama.
“Just got to fight that all the time and put your backs against the wall. It feels like it’s the best opportunity to be able to play.
Wembanyama and the Spurs are now one win away from the championship series.
It’s no coincidence that whenever Wembanyama is the most dominant player on the court, the Spurs have won, and Johnson will be hoping for another performance in a do-or-die Game 7.
Game 7 takes place on Saturday evening in Oklahoma City after the No. 1-seeded Thunder clinched home-court advantage during the regular with the West’s best record.
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