Wembanyama proves that the Thunder can bleed

The San Antonio Spurs will play in their first NBA Cup Final. They will face the New York Knicks in Las Vegas after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-109 in the semifinals. OKC arrived as the reigning NBA champions.

This was the franchise that crushes rivals. The one that takes no prisoners and came to Sin City carrying the same unstoppable momentum, a 24-1 start, that once drove the Golden State Warriors to their unrepeatable 73-9 season. They landed amid lights, shadows, and casinos on a 16-game winning streak, with a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who looked fresh, having played only 11 fourth quarters in the first 25 games of the season.

The numbers were intimidating, but the Texans knew how to navigate those waters. They steadied themselves after the Thunder surged ahead by 16, 49-33, with three minutes left in the first half, led by a brilliant Shai. The point guard finished with 29 points, but shot just 1 of 7 from three. Oklahoma’s outside shooting was a major problem all night at 9 of 37.

That lead looked decisive, but De’Aaron Fox (22 points), Devin Vassell (23), Stephon Castle (22), and above all Victor Wembanyama powered the comeback and booked the Spurs’ place in the final. The Frenchman scored 15 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter alone. His gravitational pull drew defenders and created a steady stream of open looks for his teammates. It was a sublime return after missing 13 games with a calf injury.

Wembanyama came off the bench and was not part of OKC’s early onslaught. The Thunder wanted to put the game to bed quickly. They hunted steals, ran in transition, and ramped up defensive pressure against a Spurs team still adjusting without its star. San Antonio looked short-handed, and OKC pushed the lead to 31-20 by the end of the first quarter.

They stretched it to 16 again at 49-33, then unravelled. A brutal 13-0 Spurs run closed the half, cutting the deficit to just three at 49-46. Oklahoma continued to bleed from deep, and only Shai consistently troubled San Antonio, who felt Wembanyama’s impact everywhere. The Spurs were plus-20 with him on the floor.

After halftime, balance was restored. Shai logged real fourth-quarter minutes as the game tightened, and Alex Caruso made a huge defensive impact with steals and an emphatic dunk. But with 1:21 left, he missed a simple fast-break layup that would have put OKC up 103-102. It was a miss worth half the game.

Vassell and Wembanyama held their nerve at the free-throw line to seal the win. The ending was not without controversy. Oklahoma protested a possible foul on Caruso after he grabbed the final offensive rebound following a missed Jalen Williams free throw. The officials swallowed the whistle, and the Thunder fell again. It seemed impossible. But it happened.

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