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Cómo Billy Álvarez robó (presuntamente) cientos de millones de la Cooperativa Cruz Azul

En el vídeo se ve a un anciano, con gorra y chaleco acolchado gris oscuro, caminar desde la puerta de una casa pudiente del sur de Ciudad de México hacia dos hombres en la treintena. Uno le da la mano y el otro le entrega un documento judicial: su orden de detención por los delitos de delincuencia organizada y lavado de dinero. Al oír la acusación, el octogenario da un respingo de sorpresa y suelta el papel. Le leen sus derechos y adelanta las manos para que lo esposen. Horas más tarde de ese 16 de enero de 2025, la Fiscalía General de la República anunciará la detención de “Guillermo N”, identificado como Guillermo Héctor Álvarez Cuevas y más conocido como Billy Álvarez, famoso por haber sido presidente del club de fútbol mexicano Cruz Azul y la cooperativa homónima desde 1988 hasta 2020; ex futbolista, presunto delincuente acusado de robar hasta el empacho y prófugo de la justicia durante un lustro. Un año y medio después, Billy Álvarez murió a los 80 años mientras enfrentaba desde la cárcel diversos procesos judiciales.

Una cooperativa es una empresa con un modo diferente de funcionar. Su propiedad es conjunta y su gestión democrática: cada socio tiene un voto y vale lo mismo. En el caso de la Cooperativa Cruz Azul, se fundó en 1931, cuando por la combinación de una crisis financiera y varios conflictos laborales, el gobierno del Estado de Hidalgo expropió una fábrica de cal y cemento— situada en lo que antes se conocía como Jasso y ahora se llama Ciudad Cooperativa Cruz Azul— construída en 1881 y se la entregó a sus 192 trabajadores. La familia de Álvarez Cuevas podría considerarse como parte de la realeza de la empresa: sus dos abuelos son fundadores y su padre fue director de la cooperativa de 1953 a 1976. Como en el caso de Billy, fue acusado de desviar dinero durante su gestión.

En 1988, solo 12 años después, Billy Álvarez fue elegido presidente de la Cooperativa en su asamblea general. Este es el máximo órgano de control y se celebra una vez al año. En ella, los líderes deben rendir cuentas ante los socios de la cooperativa y, cuando se cumplen los plazos, elegir a las nuevas cabezas. De acuerdo a la ley, lo máximo que una persona puede estar como presidente son diez años, pero Billy Álvarez Cuevas se mantuvo más de tres décadas a la cabeza de la Cruz Azul. En ese largo periodo, de acuerdo a las investigaciones periodísticas y judiciales, cuando él y su familia despistaron cientos de millones de pesos. La información fue primero publicada en marzo de 2019 por el portal Mexicanos contra la Corrupción, bajo el título de El juego millonario de la Cooperativa Cruz Azul. Los documentos que sirvieron de base fueron filtrados por un grupo contrario que llevaba ya unos años tratando de quitarle el control de la cooperativa y todos sus negocios asociados al clan Álvarez Cuevas.

De 2016 a 2017, Billy Álvarez, como director general, habría autorizado que se pagasen casi 200 millones de pesos a una quincena de empresas por servicios de consultoría para la Cooperativa Cruz Azul. El problema era que, además de no haber evidencias de que se realizaran estos servicios, es que todas estas compañías tenían las banderas rojas clásicas que apuntaban a que se trataba de empresas fantasma o de papel, como compartir representantes legales y tener su dirección en locales muy modestos o, directamente, en casas localizadas en colonias populares. De acuerdo a lo publicado, además de Billy Álvarez, estaban involucrados varios miembros de su familia, como su hermano, José Alfredo; su hijo, Guillermo Robin Álvarez Álvarez, y su sobrino, Mario Sánchez Álvarez. Este trabajo también demostró, con base a los documentos conocidos como los Paradise Papers, que la familia Cuevas Álvarez y sus asociados habían tenido empresas en paraísos fiscales del Caribe.

Usando esta publicación, el grupo contrario a Billy Álvarez, con el apoyo de un centenar de socios de la cooperativa, presentó en junio de 2020 una denuncia contra él y el resto de su clan por lavado de dinero, delincuencia organizada y el delito de administración fraudulenta por 2.257 millones de pesos. A finales de ese mismo año, autoridades federales liberaron varias órdenes de detención en su contra por, justamente, haber utilizado una red de empresas para desviar recursos de la Cooperativa Cruz Azul mediante operaciones simuladas y movimientos financieros irregulares. Billy Álvarez estuvo prófugo cinco años hasta que, un día de enero de 2025, dos hombres en la treintena llamaron a la puerta de una casa pudiente en el sur de Ciudad de México y les abrió un octogenario vestido con un chaleco gris oscuro.

May 31, 2026
Cómo estar apenas 20 minutos en contacto con la naturaleza puede mejorar tu salud

Fuente de la imagen, Getty Images

Pie de foto, Pasar unos 20 minutos en la naturaleza puede provocar cambios cuantificables en tu organismo.

Si alguna vez te has sentido más relajado después de pasear por un parque o un bosque, no es tu imaginación: es biología.

Estar al aire libre puede provocar cambios perceptibles en tu cuerpo, como la reducción de las hormonas del estrés, la disminución de la presión arterial e incluso la mejora de la salud intestinal.

No hace falta caminar durante horas para notar estos beneficios, ya que el efecto máximo se alcanza tras solo 20 minutos.

Un paseo al parque a la hora del almuerzo para comer un bocadillo en un banco varias veces a la semana puede ser beneficioso para tu cuerpo y tu mente.

Aquí tienes cuatro beneficios del contacto con la naturaleza para tu salud.

1. Relajación inconsciente

Cuando ves árboles verdes, hueles a pino y escuchas el suave susurro de las hojas o el canto de los pájaros, tu sistema nervioso autónomo —la red de nervios que controla los procesos inconscientes— reacciona de inmediato.

Esto puede ocurrir incluso durante una simple visita al parque local.

“Observamos cambios en el cuerpo, como una disminución de la presión arterial, variaciones en la variabilidad de la frecuencia cardíaca y un ritmo cardíaco más lento, todo ello asociado a un estado de relajación fisiológica”, explicó Kathy Willis, catedrática de biodiversidad de la Universidad de Oxford, en el pódcast What’s Up Docs? de BBC Radio 4.

Un estudio británico con casi 20.000 participantes reveló que quienes pasaban al menos 120 minutos semanales en la naturaleza tenían muchas más probabilidades de gozar de buena salud y un mayor bienestar psicológico.

La evidencia sobre los beneficios de pasar tiempo al aire libre es tan sólida que en algunas regiones se han puesto en marcha programas de prescripción social verde, que conectan a las personas con la naturaleza para mejorar su salud física y mental, con efectos positivos en la felicidad y el bienestar.

Fuente de la imagen, Getty Images

Pie de foto, Investigaciones científicas han revelado que las flores dentro de casas calman la actividad cerebral.

2. Reinicio hormonal

El sistema hormonal del cuerpo también participa en el proceso de relajación.

Willis afirmó que pasar tiempo al aire libre activa nuestro sistema endocrino y reduce los niveles de cortisol y adrenalina, las hormonas que se disparan cuando estamos estresados o ansiosos.

“Un estudio reveló que las personas que se alojaron en una habitación de hotel durante tres días e inhalaron aceite de hinoki (ciprés japonés) experimentaron una gran disminución de la adrenalina y un aumento considerable de las células asesinas naturales en la sangre”, dijo.

Las células asesinas naturales son las que combaten los virus en el organismo. Los participantes en el estudio aún presentaban niveles elevados de células asesinas naturales dos semanas después de inhalar el aroma.

En esencia, la naturaleza “calma lo que necesita calmarse y fortalece lo que necesita fortalecerse”, así lo resumió el profesor Ming Kuo, de la Universidad de Illinois en Urbana-Champaign (Estados Unidos), en declaraciones a la BBC.

“Un fin de semana de tres días en la naturaleza tiene un gran impacto en nuestro sistema inmunitario e, incluso un mes después, los niveles pueden seguir siendo un 24% superiores a los valores de referencia”, dijo.

Los estudios también muestran efectos menores, pero persistentes, de pasar periodos más cortos en la naturaleza, añadió.

3. El olfato, un sentido poderoso

Oler la naturaleza es tan poderoso como verla y oírla.

El aroma de los árboles y la tierra está lleno de compuestos orgánicos liberados por las plantas y “al inhalarlos, algunas moléculas pasan al torrente sanguíneo”.

Willis afirmó que el pino es un buen ejemplo de esto, ya que el aroma de un bosque de pinos puede calmarte en tan solo 90 segundos y ese efecto dura unos 10 minutos.

Quizás pienses que el efecto relajante de la naturaleza es solo psicológico, pero otro estudio descubrió que incluso bebés muy pequeños, sin memoria asociada a olores específicos, se calmaban cuando se les aplicaba limoneno (compuesto obtenido de las cascaras de los cítricos), otro aroma asociado a la calma, en la habitación donde se encontraban.

Fuente de la imagen, Getty Images

Pie de foto, Tocar la tierra puede ayudar a tu cuerpo a incorporar bacterias beneficiosas.

4. Bacterias beneficiosas para el intestino

Además de calmar la mente, la naturaleza también puede ayudar a mejorar tu microbiota intestinal, ya que la tierra y las plantas están llenas de bacterias beneficiosas.

“Son el mismo tipo de bacterias beneficiosas que compramos en probióticos o bebidas”, explicó Willis.

El profesor Ming Kuo ha estudiado el efecto en factores como la susceptibilidad a las infecciones y la salud mental, y afirma que inhalar ciertos elementos puede mejorar el estado de ánimo; además, los compuestos antimicrobianos liberados por las plantas, llamados fitoncidas, podrían ayudar a combatir enfermedades.

El doctor Chris van Tulleken, científico especializado en infecciones, aseveró que la naturaleza es un entorno estimulante que “activa el sistema inmunitario”.

El experto anima a sus hijos a jugar con tierra en el bosque, que luego inhalan por la nariz o la boca.

Fuente de la imagen, Getty Images

Pie de foto, El simple hecho de tener un protector de pantallas que muestre imágenes de la naturaleza en tu computadora puede ayudarte a relajarte.

Lleva la naturaleza contigo

Claro que no todo el mundo puede ir al bosque cuando lo desee, pero la buena noticia es que no es necesario.

Según Willis, incluso pequeños toques de naturaleza en casa pueden marcar la diferencia.

Visualmente, se ha demostrado que flores como las rosas blancas o amarillas producen el mayor efecto calmante en la actividad cerebral.

En cuanto a los aromas, un difusor con aceites esenciales como el pineno puede ayudarte a sentirte tranquilo.

Y si todo lo demás falla, incluso una foto de un bosque puede ayudar.

Las investigaciones demuestran que mirar imágenes de la naturaleza en la computadora o simplemente contemplar algo verde puede desencadenar los mismos cambios relajantes en las ondas cerebrales y reducir el estrés.

“Todo ayuda”, afirmó el profesor Ming Kuo.

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May 31, 2026
Starting 5: Instant classic Game 7 coming tonight? Spurs & Thunder meet for trip to NBA Finals
Names are made in the Playoffs, but Game 7s give us icons.

Who will play their way into the history books and push their team to the NBA Finals?

Spurs. Thunder. Game 7. Tonight at 8 ET on NBC & Peacock.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

May 30, 2026

Win Or Go Home: Everything to know for tonight’s Western Conference Finals Game 7 between the Spurs and Thunder

Thunder’s Path: From 8-0 to Game 7, how No. 1 OKC moved within one win of a Finals return

Spurs’ Mission: How San Antonio forged its own experience and forced the champs to Game 7

Been Here Before: Shai and OKC face first Game 7 since 2025 Finals clincher

Tone-Setter: Thriving in big moments, Wemby leads Spurs into his first career Game 7

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Game 7 Saturday…

It all comes down to this in the West. Forty-eight minutes to decide this chapter in one of the NBA’s hottest rivalries, and set up an NBA Finals matchup with the Knicks. Spurs-Thunder, Game 7, tonight (8 ET, NBC/Peacock | Tap To Watch).

Injury Report: OKC has listed both Jalen Williams (hamstring) and Ajay Mitchell (calf) out for Game 7.

Game 7 Reads: The Athletic’s Jared Weiss writes about Wemby setting the tone in Game 6 … Tim Reynolds of the AP covers the difference in the two teams heading into Game 7 … Andscape’s Marc Spears profiles Mitch Johnson, who’s earned the ‘full trust’ of the Spurs org.

1. EVERYTHING TO KNOW FOR GAME 7 IN 3 MINUTES

Morgan Givens/NBAE via Getty Images

Tonight marks the 160th Game 7 in NBA history. But few have looked quite like this one.

It’s the fifth of these 2026 Playoffs, tying the all-time mark for most in any NBA postseason.

It’s a win-or-go-home showdown between elite rivals, staged by two teams who know each other inside-and-out at this stage.

And, this isn’t even their first win-or-go-home matchup this season(!)

Tonight’s Spurs-Thunder finale (8 ET, NBC/Peacock) is adding up to be a Game 7 for the ages. Here’s everything you need to know:
- Most-Familiar Foes: Tonight represents the 12th meeting between San Antonio and OKC this season, just the second time in 30 years two teams have met that many times in a single season across the regular-season and Playoffs
- Win-Or-Go-Home, Again: In the short history of the NBA Cup, this is already the second time that two teams who met in a win-or-go-home Knockout Rounds game meet in a Playoff Game 7 later that year
- Spurs Took Round 1: San Antonio eliminated OKC – just its second loss of the season at that point – in the Cup Semifinal on Dec. 13. It was their first of the 12 meetings, building a rivalry forged in the season’s biggest moments
- West Parallels: The other two teams to wage two win-or-go-home games in the same season were the 2024-25 Rockets and Warriors, in the Cup Quarterfinals (Rockets win) and their First Round Game 7 in the Playoffs (Warriors win)
- Houston and Golden State also represent the last time the West Finals went to a Game 7, with the Warriors moving on to claim their second straight NBA title in 2018 – the NBA’s last repeat champion
The reigning champs are out to rewrite that fact, with a return trip to the Finals on the line tonight, while San Antonio aims to uphold the other end of that trend: A Spurs win would guarantee an eighth different champion in the last eight NBA seasons.
- Storm’s Edge: The Thunder are 4-2 in Game 7s in the OKC era, and 4-0 at home, where they’ll host tonight. Home teams are 117-42 all-time in Game 7s. The visiting Spurs are 4-7 all-time, and 1-5 on the road
- “Anything can happen in a Game 7,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said Thursday… “It being in your building is nice – it’s going to be nice having our fans behind us – but it doesn’t really mean anything. You have to… be the better basketball team.”
- Pressure Tested: OKC last played a Game 7 in last year’s Finals, topping Indiana to win it all. Chet Holmgren set a Finals Game 7 record with 5 blocks, while Shai (29 pts, 12 ast) claimed series MVP
- Still Shai: This will be the fourth Game 7 of Gilgeous-Alexander’s career (2-1), where the West’s 2026 postseason scoring leader (27.1 ppg) averages 27.7 ppg
- Trophy Tussle: This is the second time ever that the season’s Kia MVP and the Kia Defensive Player of the Year will face off in a Game 7. Shai and Wemby are also just the third pair of MVP finalists to meet in a Game 7 in 40 years
- Two Titans: This is the sixth Conference Finals Game 7 between the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds since 1983, and the first Game 7 in that same span featuring the teams with the two best records from that regular season
“I think a lot of fans are going to be happy,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said, looking ahead. “They say it’s the best line in sports, I believe.”

Game 7, tonight.

2. HOW THE NO. 1 THUNDER GOT TO GAME 7

Eight wins, zero losses.

The 2025 NBA Champion Thunder started their title defense undefeated through two rounds, before running into their fast-charging rival Spurs in the West Finals.

Six games of pure cinema later, and OKC needs one decisive win to return to the championship round. Here’s how the Thunder got to Game 7.
- The West’s top seed followed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s lead in its First Round series against Phoenix, as the MVP built up from 25 points in the Game 1 win, to 37 with 9 assists in Game 2, to a Playoff career-high 42 in Game 3
- Next-Man Experts: The return of Jalen Wiliams’ hamstring issues in Game 2 forced the Thunder to utilize the rotation depth they strengthened through injuries in the regular-season. Ajay Mitchell (15 pts) started Game 3’s win
- Storm Warning: Game 4’s series-clincher showcased Thunder themes still paying off two rounds later, with strong play from SGA (31 pts), Chet Holmgren (24 pts, 56.3 FG%), Mitchell (22 pts), Isaiah Hartenstein (18 pts, 12 reb), and Alex Caruso (4-6 3s)
“Just confidence-wise, as a group, it’s good to get the Playoff runs started off that way,” Shai said after Game 4… “You never know what can happen.”
- What happened next, in Round 2, was a concerted defensive effort by the No. 4 Lakers on SGA. After netting 135 total points on 55.1 FG% against Phoenix, L.A. held Shai to 98 points in four games on 47.1 FG%
- In his place, OKC got lead scoring efforts from Holmgren (20.0 ppg) and Mitchell (22.5 ppg), with Ajay logging his two highest-scoring Playoff games in Games 3 (24 pts) and 4 (28 pts). Jared McCain (11.5 ppg, 12-19 3s) also broke through
- Taking the first three games, OKC faced its first 4th-quarter deficit of these Playoffs in Game 4, as late as the final minute. But Holmgren slammed home the go-ahead dunk with 33 ticks left, to put away LeBron’s (24 pts) Lakers
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

“Hats off to my teammates,” Shai said. “Obviously, their goal was to make my teammates beat them in the first three games, and my teammates did exactly that…”

“In the Playoffs, no two games are the same,” he continued. “Especially when you change opponents. The challenges are all coming up.”
- The Thunder’s greatest challenge this year returned in the form of the No. 2 Spurs, who took Game 1 of the West Finals in OKC. The champs responded to take Games 2 and 3
- SGA rallied from Game 1 (7-23 FG) for 30 and 26-point outings in the two straight wins. OKC went back to Hartenstein (10 pts, 13 reb) in Game 2 vs. Wemby, and the Thunder bench scored 76 points in Game 3, headlined by 24 from McCain
- Game 5 put the champs within a win of a Finals return after they took the lead for good as the 1st quarter ended. 32 from Shai, 22 from Caruso and 20 from McCain in his first-career Playoff start helped put the Spurs’ season on the line
But after San Antonio sent the series to a final, deciding game, Caruso said the defending champs still control their own fate.

“They make it challenging but, for the most part, Game 7’s got to be about us… making sure we’re doing the stuff we need to do at a high level.”

3. HOW THE NO. 2 SPURS GOT TO GAME 7

Ronald Cortes/NBAE via Getty Images

Seven players making their NBA Playoff debuts.

Multiple games without their MVP finalist Victor Wembanyama and All-Star floor general De’Aaron Fox.

It’s been an up-and-down first venture into the postseason for this young Spurs core. Here’s how the West’s No. 2 seed has learned and applied in real-time to come within a game of the NBA Finals.
- “The atmosphere was different,” noted Victor Wembanyama in his first Playoff action, where he paced a Game 1 win over the Trail Blazers with a Spurs’ debut-record 35 points, including an NBA-record 21-point debut half
- Game 2 saw Wembanyama enter concussion protocol after a fall. San Antonio lost its lead at home in the 4th, but responded in Game 3, with Wemby out. Stephon Castle (33 pts) and Dylan Harper (27 pts) provided Playoff career-highs
- Wemby returned for Game 4 with San Antonio up 2-1, posting a monster line (27 pts, 11 reb, 4 stl, 7 blk) for his first road Playoff win. He then fueled the Game 5 closeout (17 pts, 14 reb, 6 blk), as his Spurs claimed their first elimination game
- “We gained experience and I’m still hungry for even better matchups,” Wemby said. “Definitely a different feeling to win against somebody and think that their season’s over.”
Anthony Edwards and the No. 6 Wolves were hungry too, coming to town as San Antonio’s next matchup. Minnesota was out to return to its third consecutive West Finals.

Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images
- Ant’s Surprise: Returning early from injury, Edwards’ (18 pts) 11-point 4th quarter stole the show in Game 1, despite Wemby’s (11 pts, 15 reb) historic 12-block triple-double
- “Offensively, I used too much energy on things that didn’t really help our team, so that’s on me,” Wembanyama said postgame
- The Spurs bounced back to hand the Wolves their largest-ever Playoff loss (133-95) in Game 2, and Wemby (39 pts, 15 reb) soared to his highest-scoring Playoff game at the time to grab the series lead in Game 3
- Following his first-career ejection in Game 4, Wembanyama returned on a mission in Game 5 (27 pts, 17 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk), and Castle (32 pts, 11 reb) led the charge in Game 6, where San Antonio led by as many as 37 to eliminate Minnesota
Overcoming the physical series with the Wolves, Castle looked ahead to a West Finals matchup with a Thunder squad San Antonio went 4-1 against in the regular-season.

“We know it’s going to be tough to knock them off, but we’re pretty confident we could do it,” said Castle.
- That confidence was on full display in Game 1, a double-OT thriller on OKC’s home floor, with an electric 41-point, 24-rebound performance from Wemby and a Spurs’ Playoff-record seven steals from Harper (24 pts)
- Clamps: After the champs won two straight, San Antonio rallied in Game 4 behind Wemby’s complete performance (33 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk) and a defensive showing that held OKC to a season-low 38-point 1st half
- Facing elimination after dropping Game 5, the young Spurs forced Game 7 on the strength of their 32-13 3rd-quarter takeover, where they held OKC scoreless for over 7 minutes in a 20-0 run. Wemby (28 pts, 10 reb, 3 blk) set the tone
So what will it take for San Antonio to unseat the reigning champion Thunder in Game 7?

“First thing is: listening to the experienced people, whether it’s on our team, on our staff, or outside,” Wemby said. “We got the chance to have plenty of those [people] around.”

4. SGA, OKC FACE FIRST GAME 7 SINCE 2025 FINALS CLINCHER

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

After San Antonio took Game 6, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about fatigue.

“Oh I’m good, I’m ready to go. Biggest game of my career… and if I lose, my season’s over.”

Put that way, the situation sounds daunting. But for SGA, the biggest games of his career have been some of his best.
- Mountain Climb: In the first of two Game 7s for the Thunder in last year’s title run, Shai (35 pts, 3 stl) outscored Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray to help put away the Nuggets in the West Semis
- “Every night’s an opportunity to learn and get better, and we’re gonna do so,” Shai said at the time of his young Thunder team gaining the big-game experience they lacked, in real-time
- Crash Course: That OKC squad was the 2nd-youngest team ever to win a championship, with an average age weighted by playing time of 25.36
- Completing that final step took one more Game 7, OKC’s most recent before tonight. SGA (29 pts, 12 ast, 2 blk) rose up again in that deciding game of the Finals against Indy, claiming the series’ MVP honors
Almost a year later, the champs now know exactly what it takes to win in these moments.
- “It’s going to take more than just Shai to beat [the Spurs], to beat any team at this point,” Alex Caruso said… “It’s just about being confident in each other and going out there and playing.”
- Responding Thunder: Over the last two Playoff runs, OKC is a perfect 9-0 following a postseason loss, including Games 2 and 5 of this West Finals
Can the Thunder again avoid consecutive losses tonight in Game 7 to return to the NBA Finals?

5. WEMBY LEADS SPURS INTO HIS FIRST CAREER GAME 7

Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

He’s done it with his play.

He can do it with his words.

And sometimes, Victor Wembanyama can set the tone for the Spurs with just his presence.

“He felt… an obligation to set a tone for us in a variety of ways,” coach Mitch Johnson said of Wemby during these West Finals.

Tonight, the 22-year-old is set to play the biggest game of his young career, in the series’ deciding game. Fortunately for the Spurs, their tone-setter’s never shied away from big moments.
- Alien Unwrapped: All eyes were on Wemby for his Christmas Day debut at MSG in 2024, where he set the Spurs’ record for most points on the Holiday with 42
- Emirates NBA Cup: Wemby (22 pts, 9 reb, 21 min) returned from a calf injury to fuel the Spurs’ knockout of OKC in this season’s Semifinals, before adding 18 points in the Cup championship against the Knicks
- “Wemby set the tone,” said All-Star Game MVP Anthony Edwards of first-time starter Wembanyama, who led Team World with 33 points on the day
“That’s kind of what Vic does,” Dylan Harper said in the West Finals. “He kind of steps into big moments. He’s never afraid of it. He loves that moment.”

Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images
- Embracing the moment in his first-career Playoffs has set Wembanyama apart as the first player ever to total 50+ blocks and 25+ made threes in one postseason run
- No Nerves: He’s also set a Spurs’ franchise record for most total points (350+) in a player’s first Playoffs
- “I think he has shown in his three years – in a lot of different situations, with a lot of different circumstances – that he’s gonna attack those moments,” coach Johnson said
Wemby’s Spurs will look to attack Game 7 tonight.
May 31, 2026
Starting 5: Instant classic Game 7 coming tonight? Spurs & Thunder meet for trip to NBA Finals
Names are made in the Playoffs, but Game 7s give us icons.

Who will play their way into the history books and push their team to the NBA Finals?

Spurs. Thunder. Game 7. Tonight at 8 ET on NBC & Peacock.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

May 30, 2026

Win Or Go Home: Everything to know for tonight’s Western Conference Finals Game 7 between the Spurs and Thunder

Thunder’s Path: From 8-0 to Game 7, how No. 1 OKC moved within one win of a Finals return

Spurs’ Mission: How San Antonio forged its own experience and forced the champs to Game 7

Been Here Before: Shai and OKC face first Game 7 since 2025 Finals clincher

Tone-Setter: Thriving in big moments, Wemby leads Spurs into his first career Game 7

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Game 7 Saturday…

It all comes down to this in the West. Forty-eight minutes to decide this chapter in one of the NBA’s hottest rivalries, and set up an NBA Finals matchup with the Knicks. Spurs-Thunder, Game 7, tonight (8 ET, NBC/Peacock | Tap To Watch).

Injury Report: OKC has listed both Jalen Williams (hamstring) and Ajay Mitchell (calf) out for Game 7.

Game 7 Reads: The Athletic’s Jared Weiss writes about Wemby setting the tone in Game 6 … Tim Reynolds of the AP covers the difference in the two teams heading into Game 7 … Andscape’s Marc Spears profiles Mitch Johnson, who’s earned the ‘full trust’ of the Spurs org.

1. EVERYTHING TO KNOW FOR GAME 7 IN 3 MINUTES

Morgan Givens/NBAE via Getty Images

Tonight marks the 160th Game 7 in NBA history. But few have looked quite like this one.

It’s the fifth of these 2026 Playoffs, tying the all-time mark for most in any NBA postseason.

It’s a win-or-go-home showdown between elite rivals, staged by two teams who know each other inside-and-out at this stage.

And, this isn’t even their first win-or-go-home matchup this season(!)

Tonight’s Spurs-Thunder finale (8 ET, NBC/Peacock) is adding up to be a Game 7 for the ages. Here’s everything you need to know:
- Most-Familiar Foes: Tonight represents the 12th meeting between San Antonio and OKC this season, just the second time in 30 years two teams have met that many times in a single season across the regular-season and Playoffs
- Win-Or-Go-Home, Again: In the short history of the NBA Cup, this is already the second time that two teams who met in a win-or-go-home Knockout Rounds game meet in a Playoff Game 7 later that year
- Spurs Took Round 1: San Antonio eliminated OKC – just its second loss of the season at that point – in the Cup Semifinal on Dec. 13. It was their first of the 12 meetings, building a rivalry forged in the season’s biggest moments
- West Parallels: The other two teams to wage two win-or-go-home games in the same season were the 2024-25 Rockets and Warriors, in the Cup Quarterfinals (Rockets win) and their First Round Game 7 in the Playoffs (Warriors win)
- Houston and Golden State also represent the last time the West Finals went to a Game 7, with the Warriors moving on to claim their second straight NBA title in 2018 – the NBA’s last repeat champion
The reigning champs are out to rewrite that fact, with a return trip to the Finals on the line tonight, while San Antonio aims to uphold the other end of that trend: A Spurs win would guarantee an eighth different champion in the last eight NBA seasons.
- Storm’s Edge: The Thunder are 4-2 in Game 7s in the OKC era, and 4-0 at home, where they’ll host tonight. Home teams are 117-42 all-time in Game 7s. The visiting Spurs are 4-7 all-time, and 1-5 on the road
- “Anything can happen in a Game 7,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said Thursday… “It being in your building is nice – it’s going to be nice having our fans behind us – but it doesn’t really mean anything. You have to… be the better basketball team.”
- Pressure Tested: OKC last played a Game 7 in last year’s Finals, topping Indiana to win it all. Chet Holmgren set a Finals Game 7 record with 5 blocks, while Shai (29 pts, 12 ast) claimed series MVP
- Still Shai: This will be the fourth Game 7 of Gilgeous-Alexander’s career (2-1), where the West’s 2026 postseason scoring leader (27.1 ppg) averages 27.7 ppg
- Trophy Tussle: This is the second time ever that the season’s Kia MVP and the Kia Defensive Player of the Year will face off in a Game 7. Shai and Wemby are also just the third pair of MVP finalists to meet in a Game 7 in 40 years
- Two Titans: This is the sixth Conference Finals Game 7 between the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds since 1983, and the first Game 7 in that same span featuring the teams with the two best records from that regular season
“I think a lot of fans are going to be happy,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said, looking ahead. “They say it’s the best line in sports, I believe.”

Game 7, tonight.

2. HOW THE NO. 1 THUNDER GOT TO GAME 7

Eight wins, zero losses.

The 2025 NBA Champion Thunder started their title defense undefeated through two rounds, before running into their fast-charging rival Spurs in the West Finals.

Six games of pure cinema later, and OKC needs one decisive win to return to the championship round. Here’s how the Thunder got to Game 7.
- The West’s top seed followed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s lead in its First Round series against Phoenix, as the MVP built up from 25 points in the Game 1 win, to 37 with 9 assists in Game 2, to a Playoff career-high 42 in Game 3
- Next-Man Experts: The return of Jalen Wiliams’ hamstring issues in Game 2 forced the Thunder to utilize the rotation depth they strengthened through injuries in the regular-season. Ajay Mitchell (15 pts) started Game 3’s win
- Storm Warning: Game 4’s series-clincher showcased Thunder themes still paying off two rounds later, with strong play from SGA (31 pts), Chet Holmgren (24 pts, 56.3 FG%), Mitchell (22 pts), Isaiah Hartenstein (18 pts, 12 reb), and Alex Caruso (4-6 3s)
“Just confidence-wise, as a group, it’s good to get the Playoff runs started off that way,” Shai said after Game 4… “You never know what can happen.”
- What happened next, in Round 2, was a concerted defensive effort by the No. 4 Lakers on SGA. After netting 135 total points on 55.1 FG% against Phoenix, L.A. held Shai to 98 points in four games on 47.1 FG%
- In his place, OKC got lead scoring efforts from Holmgren (20.0 ppg) and Mitchell (22.5 ppg), with Ajay logging his two highest-scoring Playoff games in Games 3 (24 pts) and 4 (28 pts). Jared McCain (11.5 ppg, 12-19 3s) also broke through
- Taking the first three games, OKC faced its first 4th-quarter deficit of these Playoffs in Game 4, as late as the final minute. But Holmgren slammed home the go-ahead dunk with 33 ticks left, to put away LeBron’s (24 pts) Lakers
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

“Hats off to my teammates,” Shai said. “Obviously, their goal was to make my teammates beat them in the first three games, and my teammates did exactly that…”

“In the Playoffs, no two games are the same,” he continued. “Especially when you change opponents. The challenges are all coming up.”
- The Thunder’s greatest challenge this year returned in the form of the No. 2 Spurs, who took Game 1 of the West Finals in OKC. The champs responded to take Games 2 and 3
- SGA rallied from Game 1 (7-23 FG) for 30 and 26-point outings in the two straight wins. OKC went back to Hartenstein (10 pts, 13 reb) in Game 2 vs. Wemby, and the Thunder bench scored 76 points in Game 3, headlined by 24 from McCain
- Game 5 put the champs within a win of a Finals return after they took the lead for good as the 1st quarter ended. 32 from Shai, 22 from Caruso and 20 from McCain in his first-career Playoff start helped put the Spurs’ season on the line
But after San Antonio sent the series to a final, deciding game, Caruso said the defending champs still control their own fate.

“They make it challenging but, for the most part, Game 7’s got to be about us… making sure we’re doing the stuff we need to do at a high level.”

3. HOW THE NO. 2 SPURS GOT TO GAME 7

Ronald Cortes/NBAE via Getty Images

Seven players making their NBA Playoff debuts.

Multiple games without their MVP finalist Victor Wembanyama and All-Star floor general De’Aaron Fox.

It’s been an up-and-down first venture into the postseason for this young Spurs core. Here’s how the West’s No. 2 seed has learned and applied in real-time to come within a game of the NBA Finals.
- “The atmosphere was different,” noted Victor Wembanyama in his first Playoff action, where he paced a Game 1 win over the Trail Blazers with a Spurs’ debut-record 35 points, including an NBA-record 21-point debut half
- Game 2 saw Wembanyama enter concussion protocol after a fall. San Antonio lost its lead at home in the 4th, but responded in Game 3, with Wemby out. Stephon Castle (33 pts) and Dylan Harper (27 pts) provided Playoff career-highs
- Wemby returned for Game 4 with San Antonio up 2-1, posting a monster line (27 pts, 11 reb, 4 stl, 7 blk) for his first road Playoff win. He then fueled the Game 5 closeout (17 pts, 14 reb, 6 blk), as his Spurs claimed their first elimination game
- “We gained experience and I’m still hungry for even better matchups,” Wemby said. “Definitely a different feeling to win against somebody and think that their season’s over.”
Anthony Edwards and the No. 6 Wolves were hungry too, coming to town as San Antonio’s next matchup. Minnesota was out to return to its third consecutive West Finals.

Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images
- Ant’s Surprise: Returning early from injury, Edwards’ (18 pts) 11-point 4th quarter stole the show in Game 1, despite Wemby’s (11 pts, 15 reb) historic 12-block triple-double
- “Offensively, I used too much energy on things that didn’t really help our team, so that’s on me,” Wembanyama said postgame
- The Spurs bounced back to hand the Wolves their largest-ever Playoff loss (133-95) in Game 2, and Wemby (39 pts, 15 reb) soared to his highest-scoring Playoff game at the time to grab the series lead in Game 3
- Following his first-career ejection in Game 4, Wembanyama returned on a mission in Game 5 (27 pts, 17 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk), and Castle (32 pts, 11 reb) led the charge in Game 6, where San Antonio led by as many as 37 to eliminate Minnesota
Overcoming the physical series with the Wolves, Castle looked ahead to a West Finals matchup with a Thunder squad San Antonio went 4-1 against in the regular-season.

“We know it’s going to be tough to knock them off, but we’re pretty confident we could do it,” said Castle.
- That confidence was on full display in Game 1, a double-OT thriller on OKC’s home floor, with an electric 41-point, 24-rebound performance from Wemby and a Spurs’ Playoff-record seven steals from Harper (24 pts)
- Clamps: After the champs won two straight, San Antonio rallied in Game 4 behind Wemby’s complete performance (33 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk) and a defensive showing that held OKC to a season-low 38-point 1st half
- Facing elimination after dropping Game 5, the young Spurs forced Game 7 on the strength of their 32-13 3rd-quarter takeover, where they held OKC scoreless for over 7 minutes in a 20-0 run. Wemby (28 pts, 10 reb, 3 blk) set the tone
So what will it take for San Antonio to unseat the reigning champion Thunder in Game 7?

“First thing is: listening to the experienced people, whether it’s on our team, on our staff, or outside,” Wemby said. “We got the chance to have plenty of those [people] around.”

4. SGA, OKC FACE FIRST GAME 7 SINCE 2025 FINALS CLINCHER

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

After San Antonio took Game 6, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about fatigue.

“Oh I’m good, I’m ready to go. Biggest game of my career… and if I lose, my season’s over.”

Put that way, the situation sounds daunting. But for SGA, the biggest games of his career have been some of his best.
- Mountain Climb: In the first of two Game 7s for the Thunder in last year’s title run, Shai (35 pts, 3 stl) outscored Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray to help put away the Nuggets in the West Semis
- “Every night’s an opportunity to learn and get better, and we’re gonna do so,” Shai said at the time of his young Thunder team gaining the big-game experience they lacked, in real-time
- Crash Course: That OKC squad was the 2nd-youngest team ever to win a championship, with an average age weighted by playing time of 25.36
- Completing that final step took one more Game 7, OKC’s most recent before tonight. SGA (29 pts, 12 ast, 2 blk) rose up again in that deciding game of the Finals against Indy, claiming the series’ MVP honors
Almost a year later, the champs now know exactly what it takes to win in these moments.
- “It’s going to take more than just Shai to beat [the Spurs], to beat any team at this point,” Alex Caruso said… “It’s just about being confident in each other and going out there and playing.”
- Responding Thunder: Over the last two Playoff runs, OKC is a perfect 9-0 following a postseason loss, including Games 2 and 5 of this West Finals
Can the Thunder again avoid consecutive losses tonight in Game 7 to return to the NBA Finals?

5. WEMBY LEADS SPURS INTO HIS FIRST CAREER GAME 7

Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

He’s done it with his play.

He can do it with his words.

And sometimes, Victor Wembanyama can set the tone for the Spurs with just his presence.

“He felt… an obligation to set a tone for us in a variety of ways,” coach Mitch Johnson said of Wemby during these West Finals.

Tonight, the 22-year-old is set to play the biggest game of his young career, in the series’ deciding game. Fortunately for the Spurs, their tone-setter’s never shied away from big moments.
- Alien Unwrapped: All eyes were on Wemby for his Christmas Day debut at MSG in 2024, where he set the Spurs’ record for most points on the Holiday with 42
- Emirates NBA Cup: Wemby (22 pts, 9 reb, 21 min) returned from a calf injury to fuel the Spurs’ knockout of OKC in this season’s Semifinals, before adding 18 points in the Cup championship against the Knicks
- “Wemby set the tone,” said All-Star Game MVP Anthony Edwards of first-time starter Wembanyama, who led Team World with 33 points on the day
“That’s kind of what Vic does,” Dylan Harper said in the West Finals. “He kind of steps into big moments. He’s never afraid of it. He loves that moment.”

Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images
- Embracing the moment in his first-career Playoffs has set Wembanyama apart as the first player ever to total 50+ blocks and 25+ made threes in one postseason run
- No Nerves: He’s also set a Spurs’ franchise record for most total points (350+) in a player’s first Playoffs
- “I think he has shown in his three years – in a lot of different situations, with a lot of different circumstances – that he’s gonna attack those moments,” coach Johnson said
Wemby’s Spurs will look to attack Game 7 tonight.
May 31, 2026
Starting 5: Instant classic Game 7 coming tonight? Spurs & Thunder meet for trip to NBA Finals
Names are made in the Playoffs, but Game 7s give us icons.

Who will play their way into the history books and push their team to the NBA Finals?

Spurs. Thunder. Game 7. Tonight at 8 ET on NBC & Peacock.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

May 30, 2026

Win Or Go Home: Everything to know for tonight’s Western Conference Finals Game 7 between the Spurs and Thunder

Thunder’s Path: From 8-0 to Game 7, how No. 1 OKC moved within one win of a Finals return

Spurs’ Mission: How San Antonio forged its own experience and forced the champs to Game 7

Been Here Before: Shai and OKC face first Game 7 since 2025 Finals clincher

Tone-Setter: Thriving in big moments, Wemby leads Spurs into his first career Game 7

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Game 7 Saturday…

It all comes down to this in the West. Forty-eight minutes to decide this chapter in one of the NBA’s hottest rivalries, and set up an NBA Finals matchup with the Knicks. Spurs-Thunder, Game 7, tonight (8 ET, NBC/Peacock | Tap To Watch).

Injury Report: OKC has listed both Jalen Williams (hamstring) and Ajay Mitchell (calf) out for Game 7.

Game 7 Reads: The Athletic’s Jared Weiss writes about Wemby setting the tone in Game 6 … Tim Reynolds of the AP covers the difference in the two teams heading into Game 7 … Andscape’s Marc Spears profiles Mitch Johnson, who’s earned the ‘full trust’ of the Spurs org.

1. EVERYTHING TO KNOW FOR GAME 7 IN 3 MINUTES

Morgan Givens/NBAE via Getty Images

Tonight marks the 160th Game 7 in NBA history. But few have looked quite like this one.

It’s the fifth of these 2026 Playoffs, tying the all-time mark for most in any NBA postseason.

It’s a win-or-go-home showdown between elite rivals, staged by two teams who know each other inside-and-out at this stage.

And, this isn’t even their first win-or-go-home matchup this season(!)

Tonight’s Spurs-Thunder finale (8 ET, NBC/Peacock) is adding up to be a Game 7 for the ages. Here’s everything you need to know:
- Most-Familiar Foes: Tonight represents the 12th meeting between San Antonio and OKC this season, just the second time in 30 years two teams have met that many times in a single season across the regular-season and Playoffs
- Win-Or-Go-Home, Again: In the short history of the NBA Cup, this is already the second time that two teams who met in a win-or-go-home Knockout Rounds game meet in a Playoff Game 7 later that year
- Spurs Took Round 1: San Antonio eliminated OKC – just its second loss of the season at that point – in the Cup Semifinal on Dec. 13. It was their first of the 12 meetings, building a rivalry forged in the season’s biggest moments
- West Parallels: The other two teams to wage two win-or-go-home games in the same season were the 2024-25 Rockets and Warriors, in the Cup Quarterfinals (Rockets win) and their First Round Game 7 in the Playoffs (Warriors win)
- Houston and Golden State also represent the last time the West Finals went to a Game 7, with the Warriors moving on to claim their second straight NBA title in 2018 – the NBA’s last repeat champion
The reigning champs are out to rewrite that fact, with a return trip to the Finals on the line tonight, while San Antonio aims to uphold the other end of that trend: A Spurs win would guarantee an eighth different champion in the last eight NBA seasons.
- Storm’s Edge: The Thunder are 4-2 in Game 7s in the OKC era, and 4-0 at home, where they’ll host tonight. Home teams are 117-42 all-time in Game 7s. The visiting Spurs are 4-7 all-time, and 1-5 on the road
- “Anything can happen in a Game 7,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said Thursday… “It being in your building is nice – it’s going to be nice having our fans behind us – but it doesn’t really mean anything. You have to… be the better basketball team.”
- Pressure Tested: OKC last played a Game 7 in last year’s Finals, topping Indiana to win it all. Chet Holmgren set a Finals Game 7 record with 5 blocks, while Shai (29 pts, 12 ast) claimed series MVP
- Still Shai: This will be the fourth Game 7 of Gilgeous-Alexander’s career (2-1), where the West’s 2026 postseason scoring leader (27.1 ppg) averages 27.7 ppg
- Trophy Tussle: This is the second time ever that the season’s Kia MVP and the Kia Defensive Player of the Year will face off in a Game 7. Shai and Wemby are also just the third pair of MVP finalists to meet in a Game 7 in 40 years
- Two Titans: This is the sixth Conference Finals Game 7 between the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds since 1983, and the first Game 7 in that same span featuring the teams with the two best records from that regular season
“I think a lot of fans are going to be happy,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said, looking ahead. “They say it’s the best line in sports, I believe.”

Game 7, tonight.

2. HOW THE NO. 1 THUNDER GOT TO GAME 7

Eight wins, zero losses.

The 2025 NBA Champion Thunder started their title defense undefeated through two rounds, before running into their fast-charging rival Spurs in the West Finals.

Six games of pure cinema later, and OKC needs one decisive win to return to the championship round. Here’s how the Thunder got to Game 7.
- The West’s top seed followed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s lead in its First Round series against Phoenix, as the MVP built up from 25 points in the Game 1 win, to 37 with 9 assists in Game 2, to a Playoff career-high 42 in Game 3
- Next-Man Experts: The return of Jalen Wiliams’ hamstring issues in Game 2 forced the Thunder to utilize the rotation depth they strengthened through injuries in the regular-season. Ajay Mitchell (15 pts) started Game 3’s win
- Storm Warning: Game 4’s series-clincher showcased Thunder themes still paying off two rounds later, with strong play from SGA (31 pts), Chet Holmgren (24 pts, 56.3 FG%), Mitchell (22 pts), Isaiah Hartenstein (18 pts, 12 reb), and Alex Caruso (4-6 3s)
“Just confidence-wise, as a group, it’s good to get the Playoff runs started off that way,” Shai said after Game 4… “You never know what can happen.”
- What happened next, in Round 2, was a concerted defensive effort by the No. 4 Lakers on SGA. After netting 135 total points on 55.1 FG% against Phoenix, L.A. held Shai to 98 points in four games on 47.1 FG%
- In his place, OKC got lead scoring efforts from Holmgren (20.0 ppg) and Mitchell (22.5 ppg), with Ajay logging his two highest-scoring Playoff games in Games 3 (24 pts) and 4 (28 pts). Jared McCain (11.5 ppg, 12-19 3s) also broke through
- Taking the first three games, OKC faced its first 4th-quarter deficit of these Playoffs in Game 4, as late as the final minute. But Holmgren slammed home the go-ahead dunk with 33 ticks left, to put away LeBron’s (24 pts) Lakers
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

“Hats off to my teammates,” Shai said. “Obviously, their goal was to make my teammates beat them in the first three games, and my teammates did exactly that…”

“In the Playoffs, no two games are the same,” he continued. “Especially when you change opponents. The challenges are all coming up.”
- The Thunder’s greatest challenge this year returned in the form of the No. 2 Spurs, who took Game 1 of the West Finals in OKC. The champs responded to take Games 2 and 3
- SGA rallied from Game 1 (7-23 FG) for 30 and 26-point outings in the two straight wins. OKC went back to Hartenstein (10 pts, 13 reb) in Game 2 vs. Wemby, and the Thunder bench scored 76 points in Game 3, headlined by 24 from McCain
- Game 5 put the champs within a win of a Finals return after they took the lead for good as the 1st quarter ended. 32 from Shai, 22 from Caruso and 20 from McCain in his first-career Playoff start helped put the Spurs’ season on the line
But after San Antonio sent the series to a final, deciding game, Caruso said the defending champs still control their own fate.

“They make it challenging but, for the most part, Game 7’s got to be about us… making sure we’re doing the stuff we need to do at a high level.”

3. HOW THE NO. 2 SPURS GOT TO GAME 7

Ronald Cortes/NBAE via Getty Images

Seven players making their NBA Playoff debuts.

Multiple games without their MVP finalist Victor Wembanyama and All-Star floor general De’Aaron Fox.

It’s been an up-and-down first venture into the postseason for this young Spurs core. Here’s how the West’s No. 2 seed has learned and applied in real-time to come within a game of the NBA Finals.
- “The atmosphere was different,” noted Victor Wembanyama in his first Playoff action, where he paced a Game 1 win over the Trail Blazers with a Spurs’ debut-record 35 points, including an NBA-record 21-point debut half
- Game 2 saw Wembanyama enter concussion protocol after a fall. San Antonio lost its lead at home in the 4th, but responded in Game 3, with Wemby out. Stephon Castle (33 pts) and Dylan Harper (27 pts) provided Playoff career-highs
- Wemby returned for Game 4 with San Antonio up 2-1, posting a monster line (27 pts, 11 reb, 4 stl, 7 blk) for his first road Playoff win. He then fueled the Game 5 closeout (17 pts, 14 reb, 6 blk), as his Spurs claimed their first elimination game
- “We gained experience and I’m still hungry for even better matchups,” Wemby said. “Definitely a different feeling to win against somebody and think that their season’s over.”
Anthony Edwards and the No. 6 Wolves were hungry too, coming to town as San Antonio’s next matchup. Minnesota was out to return to its third consecutive West Finals.

Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images
- Ant’s Surprise: Returning early from injury, Edwards’ (18 pts) 11-point 4th quarter stole the show in Game 1, despite Wemby’s (11 pts, 15 reb) historic 12-block triple-double
- “Offensively, I used too much energy on things that didn’t really help our team, so that’s on me,” Wembanyama said postgame
- The Spurs bounced back to hand the Wolves their largest-ever Playoff loss (133-95) in Game 2, and Wemby (39 pts, 15 reb) soared to his highest-scoring Playoff game at the time to grab the series lead in Game 3
- Following his first-career ejection in Game 4, Wembanyama returned on a mission in Game 5 (27 pts, 17 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk), and Castle (32 pts, 11 reb) led the charge in Game 6, where San Antonio led by as many as 37 to eliminate Minnesota
Overcoming the physical series with the Wolves, Castle looked ahead to a West Finals matchup with a Thunder squad San Antonio went 4-1 against in the regular-season.

“We know it’s going to be tough to knock them off, but we’re pretty confident we could do it,” said Castle.
- That confidence was on full display in Game 1, a double-OT thriller on OKC’s home floor, with an electric 41-point, 24-rebound performance from Wemby and a Spurs’ Playoff-record seven steals from Harper (24 pts)
- Clamps: After the champs won two straight, San Antonio rallied in Game 4 behind Wemby’s complete performance (33 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk) and a defensive showing that held OKC to a season-low 38-point 1st half
- Facing elimination after dropping Game 5, the young Spurs forced Game 7 on the strength of their 32-13 3rd-quarter takeover, where they held OKC scoreless for over 7 minutes in a 20-0 run. Wemby (28 pts, 10 reb, 3 blk) set the tone
So what will it take for San Antonio to unseat the reigning champion Thunder in Game 7?

“First thing is: listening to the experienced people, whether it’s on our team, on our staff, or outside,” Wemby said. “We got the chance to have plenty of those [people] around.”

4. SGA, OKC FACE FIRST GAME 7 SINCE 2025 FINALS CLINCHER

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

After San Antonio took Game 6, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about fatigue.

“Oh I’m good, I’m ready to go. Biggest game of my career… and if I lose, my season’s over.”

Put that way, the situation sounds daunting. But for SGA, the biggest games of his career have been some of his best.
- Mountain Climb: In the first of two Game 7s for the Thunder in last year’s title run, Shai (35 pts, 3 stl) outscored Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray to help put away the Nuggets in the West Semis
- “Every night’s an opportunity to learn and get better, and we’re gonna do so,” Shai said at the time of his young Thunder team gaining the big-game experience they lacked, in real-time
- Crash Course: That OKC squad was the 2nd-youngest team ever to win a championship, with an average age weighted by playing time of 25.36
- Completing that final step took one more Game 7, OKC’s most recent before tonight. SGA (29 pts, 12 ast, 2 blk) rose up again in that deciding game of the Finals against Indy, claiming the series’ MVP honors
Almost a year later, the champs now know exactly what it takes to win in these moments.
- “It’s going to take more than just Shai to beat [the Spurs], to beat any team at this point,” Alex Caruso said… “It’s just about being confident in each other and going out there and playing.”
- Responding Thunder: Over the last two Playoff runs, OKC is a perfect 9-0 following a postseason loss, including Games 2 and 5 of this West Finals
Can the Thunder again avoid consecutive losses tonight in Game 7 to return to the NBA Finals?

5. WEMBY LEADS SPURS INTO HIS FIRST CAREER GAME 7

Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

He’s done it with his play.

He can do it with his words.

And sometimes, Victor Wembanyama can set the tone for the Spurs with just his presence.

“He felt… an obligation to set a tone for us in a variety of ways,” coach Mitch Johnson said of Wemby during these West Finals.

Tonight, the 22-year-old is set to play the biggest game of his young career, in the series’ deciding game. Fortunately for the Spurs, their tone-setter’s never shied away from big moments.
- Alien Unwrapped: All eyes were on Wemby for his Christmas Day debut at MSG in 2024, where he set the Spurs’ record for most points on the Holiday with 42
- Emirates NBA Cup: Wemby (22 pts, 9 reb, 21 min) returned from a calf injury to fuel the Spurs’ knockout of OKC in this season’s Semifinals, before adding 18 points in the Cup championship against the Knicks
- “Wemby set the tone,” said All-Star Game MVP Anthony Edwards of first-time starter Wembanyama, who led Team World with 33 points on the day
“That’s kind of what Vic does,” Dylan Harper said in the West Finals. “He kind of steps into big moments. He’s never afraid of it. He loves that moment.”

Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images
- Embracing the moment in his first-career Playoffs has set Wembanyama apart as the first player ever to total 50+ blocks and 25+ made threes in one postseason run
- No Nerves: He’s also set a Spurs’ franchise record for most total points (350+) in a player’s first Playoffs
- “I think he has shown in his three years – in a lot of different situations, with a lot of different circumstances – that he’s gonna attack those moments,” coach Johnson said
Wemby’s Spurs will look to attack Game 7 tonight.
May 31, 2026
Starting 5: Instant classic Game 7 coming tonight? Spurs & Thunder meet for trip to NBA Finals
Names are made in the Playoffs, but Game 7s give us icons.

Who will play their way into the history books and push their team to the NBA Finals?

Spurs. Thunder. Game 7. Tonight at 8 ET on NBC & Peacock.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

May 30, 2026

Win Or Go Home: Everything to know for tonight’s Western Conference Finals Game 7 between the Spurs and Thunder

Thunder’s Path: From 8-0 to Game 7, how No. 1 OKC moved within one win of a Finals return

Spurs’ Mission: How San Antonio forged its own experience and forced the champs to Game 7

Been Here Before: Shai and OKC face first Game 7 since 2025 Finals clincher

Tone-Setter: Thriving in big moments, Wemby leads Spurs into his first career Game 7

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Game 7 Saturday…

It all comes down to this in the West. Forty-eight minutes to decide this chapter in one of the NBA’s hottest rivalries, and set up an NBA Finals matchup with the Knicks. Spurs-Thunder, Game 7, tonight (8 ET, NBC/Peacock | Tap To Watch).

Injury Report: OKC has listed both Jalen Williams (hamstring) and Ajay Mitchell (calf) out for Game 7.

Game 7 Reads: The Athletic’s Jared Weiss writes about Wemby setting the tone in Game 6 … Tim Reynolds of the AP covers the difference in the two teams heading into Game 7 … Andscape’s Marc Spears profiles Mitch Johnson, who’s earned the ‘full trust’ of the Spurs org.

1. EVERYTHING TO KNOW FOR GAME 7 IN 3 MINUTES

Morgan Givens/NBAE via Getty Images

Tonight marks the 160th Game 7 in NBA history. But few have looked quite like this one.

It’s the fifth of these 2026 Playoffs, tying the all-time mark for most in any NBA postseason.

It’s a win-or-go-home showdown between elite rivals, staged by two teams who know each other inside-and-out at this stage.

And, this isn’t even their first win-or-go-home matchup this season(!)

Tonight’s Spurs-Thunder finale (8 ET, NBC/Peacock) is adding up to be a Game 7 for the ages. Here’s everything you need to know:
- Most-Familiar Foes: Tonight represents the 12th meeting between San Antonio and OKC this season, just the second time in 30 years two teams have met that many times in a single season across the regular-season and Playoffs
- Win-Or-Go-Home, Again: In the short history of the NBA Cup, this is already the second time that two teams who met in a win-or-go-home Knockout Rounds game meet in a Playoff Game 7 later that year
- Spurs Took Round 1: San Antonio eliminated OKC – just its second loss of the season at that point – in the Cup Semifinal on Dec. 13. It was their first of the 12 meetings, building a rivalry forged in the season’s biggest moments
- West Parallels: The other two teams to wage two win-or-go-home games in the same season were the 2024-25 Rockets and Warriors, in the Cup Quarterfinals (Rockets win) and their First Round Game 7 in the Playoffs (Warriors win)
- Houston and Golden State also represent the last time the West Finals went to a Game 7, with the Warriors moving on to claim their second straight NBA title in 2018 – the NBA’s last repeat champion
The reigning champs are out to rewrite that fact, with a return trip to the Finals on the line tonight, while San Antonio aims to uphold the other end of that trend: A Spurs win would guarantee an eighth different champion in the last eight NBA seasons.
- Storm’s Edge: The Thunder are 4-2 in Game 7s in the OKC era, and 4-0 at home, where they’ll host tonight. Home teams are 117-42 all-time in Game 7s. The visiting Spurs are 4-7 all-time, and 1-5 on the road
- “Anything can happen in a Game 7,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said Thursday… “It being in your building is nice – it’s going to be nice having our fans behind us – but it doesn’t really mean anything. You have to… be the better basketball team.”
- Pressure Tested: OKC last played a Game 7 in last year’s Finals, topping Indiana to win it all. Chet Holmgren set a Finals Game 7 record with 5 blocks, while Shai (29 pts, 12 ast) claimed series MVP
- Still Shai: This will be the fourth Game 7 of Gilgeous-Alexander’s career (2-1), where the West’s 2026 postseason scoring leader (27.1 ppg) averages 27.7 ppg
- Trophy Tussle: This is the second time ever that the season’s Kia MVP and the Kia Defensive Player of the Year will face off in a Game 7. Shai and Wemby are also just the third pair of MVP finalists to meet in a Game 7 in 40 years
- Two Titans: This is the sixth Conference Finals Game 7 between the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds since 1983, and the first Game 7 in that same span featuring the teams with the two best records from that regular season
“I think a lot of fans are going to be happy,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said, looking ahead. “They say it’s the best line in sports, I believe.”

Game 7, tonight.

2. HOW THE NO. 1 THUNDER GOT TO GAME 7

Eight wins, zero losses.

The 2025 NBA Champion Thunder started their title defense undefeated through two rounds, before running into their fast-charging rival Spurs in the West Finals.

Six games of pure cinema later, and OKC needs one decisive win to return to the championship round. Here’s how the Thunder got to Game 7.
- The West’s top seed followed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s lead in its First Round series against Phoenix, as the MVP built up from 25 points in the Game 1 win, to 37 with 9 assists in Game 2, to a Playoff career-high 42 in Game 3
- Next-Man Experts: The return of Jalen Wiliams’ hamstring issues in Game 2 forced the Thunder to utilize the rotation depth they strengthened through injuries in the regular-season. Ajay Mitchell (15 pts) started Game 3’s win
- Storm Warning: Game 4’s series-clincher showcased Thunder themes still paying off two rounds later, with strong play from SGA (31 pts), Chet Holmgren (24 pts, 56.3 FG%), Mitchell (22 pts), Isaiah Hartenstein (18 pts, 12 reb), and Alex Caruso (4-6 3s)
“Just confidence-wise, as a group, it’s good to get the Playoff runs started off that way,” Shai said after Game 4… “You never know what can happen.”
- What happened next, in Round 2, was a concerted defensive effort by the No. 4 Lakers on SGA. After netting 135 total points on 55.1 FG% against Phoenix, L.A. held Shai to 98 points in four games on 47.1 FG%
- In his place, OKC got lead scoring efforts from Holmgren (20.0 ppg) and Mitchell (22.5 ppg), with Ajay logging his two highest-scoring Playoff games in Games 3 (24 pts) and 4 (28 pts). Jared McCain (11.5 ppg, 12-19 3s) also broke through
- Taking the first three games, OKC faced its first 4th-quarter deficit of these Playoffs in Game 4, as late as the final minute. But Holmgren slammed home the go-ahead dunk with 33 ticks left, to put away LeBron’s (24 pts) Lakers
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

“Hats off to my teammates,” Shai said. “Obviously, their goal was to make my teammates beat them in the first three games, and my teammates did exactly that…”

“In the Playoffs, no two games are the same,” he continued. “Especially when you change opponents. The challenges are all coming up.”
- The Thunder’s greatest challenge this year returned in the form of the No. 2 Spurs, who took Game 1 of the West Finals in OKC. The champs responded to take Games 2 and 3
- SGA rallied from Game 1 (7-23 FG) for 30 and 26-point outings in the two straight wins. OKC went back to Hartenstein (10 pts, 13 reb) in Game 2 vs. Wemby, and the Thunder bench scored 76 points in Game 3, headlined by 24 from McCain
- Game 5 put the champs within a win of a Finals return after they took the lead for good as the 1st quarter ended. 32 from Shai, 22 from Caruso and 20 from McCain in his first-career Playoff start helped put the Spurs’ season on the line
But after San Antonio sent the series to a final, deciding game, Caruso said the defending champs still control their own fate.

“They make it challenging but, for the most part, Game 7’s got to be about us… making sure we’re doing the stuff we need to do at a high level.”

3. HOW THE NO. 2 SPURS GOT TO GAME 7

Ronald Cortes/NBAE via Getty Images

Seven players making their NBA Playoff debuts.

Multiple games without their MVP finalist Victor Wembanyama and All-Star floor general De’Aaron Fox.

It’s been an up-and-down first venture into the postseason for this young Spurs core. Here’s how the West’s No. 2 seed has learned and applied in real-time to come within a game of the NBA Finals.
- “The atmosphere was different,” noted Victor Wembanyama in his first Playoff action, where he paced a Game 1 win over the Trail Blazers with a Spurs’ debut-record 35 points, including an NBA-record 21-point debut half
- Game 2 saw Wembanyama enter concussion protocol after a fall. San Antonio lost its lead at home in the 4th, but responded in Game 3, with Wemby out. Stephon Castle (33 pts) and Dylan Harper (27 pts) provided Playoff career-highs
- Wemby returned for Game 4 with San Antonio up 2-1, posting a monster line (27 pts, 11 reb, 4 stl, 7 blk) for his first road Playoff win. He then fueled the Game 5 closeout (17 pts, 14 reb, 6 blk), as his Spurs claimed their first elimination game
- “We gained experience and I’m still hungry for even better matchups,” Wemby said. “Definitely a different feeling to win against somebody and think that their season’s over.”
Anthony Edwards and the No. 6 Wolves were hungry too, coming to town as San Antonio’s next matchup. Minnesota was out to return to its third consecutive West Finals.

Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images
- Ant’s Surprise: Returning early from injury, Edwards’ (18 pts) 11-point 4th quarter stole the show in Game 1, despite Wemby’s (11 pts, 15 reb) historic 12-block triple-double
- “Offensively, I used too much energy on things that didn’t really help our team, so that’s on me,” Wembanyama said postgame
- The Spurs bounced back to hand the Wolves their largest-ever Playoff loss (133-95) in Game 2, and Wemby (39 pts, 15 reb) soared to his highest-scoring Playoff game at the time to grab the series lead in Game 3
- Following his first-career ejection in Game 4, Wembanyama returned on a mission in Game 5 (27 pts, 17 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk), and Castle (32 pts, 11 reb) led the charge in Game 6, where San Antonio led by as many as 37 to eliminate Minnesota
Overcoming the physical series with the Wolves, Castle looked ahead to a West Finals matchup with a Thunder squad San Antonio went 4-1 against in the regular-season.

“We know it’s going to be tough to knock them off, but we’re pretty confident we could do it,” said Castle.
- That confidence was on full display in Game 1, a double-OT thriller on OKC’s home floor, with an electric 41-point, 24-rebound performance from Wemby and a Spurs’ Playoff-record seven steals from Harper (24 pts)
- Clamps: After the champs won two straight, San Antonio rallied in Game 4 behind Wemby’s complete performance (33 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk) and a defensive showing that held OKC to a season-low 38-point 1st half
- Facing elimination after dropping Game 5, the young Spurs forced Game 7 on the strength of their 32-13 3rd-quarter takeover, where they held OKC scoreless for over 7 minutes in a 20-0 run. Wemby (28 pts, 10 reb, 3 blk) set the tone
So what will it take for San Antonio to unseat the reigning champion Thunder in Game 7?

“First thing is: listening to the experienced people, whether it’s on our team, on our staff, or outside,” Wemby said. “We got the chance to have plenty of those [people] around.”

4. SGA, OKC FACE FIRST GAME 7 SINCE 2025 FINALS CLINCHER

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

After San Antonio took Game 6, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about fatigue.

“Oh I’m good, I’m ready to go. Biggest game of my career… and if I lose, my season’s over.”

Put that way, the situation sounds daunting. But for SGA, the biggest games of his career have been some of his best.
- Mountain Climb: In the first of two Game 7s for the Thunder in last year’s title run, Shai (35 pts, 3 stl) outscored Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray to help put away the Nuggets in the West Semis
- “Every night’s an opportunity to learn and get better, and we’re gonna do so,” Shai said at the time of his young Thunder team gaining the big-game experience they lacked, in real-time
- Crash Course: That OKC squad was the 2nd-youngest team ever to win a championship, with an average age weighted by playing time of 25.36
- Completing that final step took one more Game 7, OKC’s most recent before tonight. SGA (29 pts, 12 ast, 2 blk) rose up again in that deciding game of the Finals against Indy, claiming the series’ MVP honors
Almost a year later, the champs now know exactly what it takes to win in these moments.
- “It’s going to take more than just Shai to beat [the Spurs], to beat any team at this point,” Alex Caruso said… “It’s just about being confident in each other and going out there and playing.”
- Responding Thunder: Over the last two Playoff runs, OKC is a perfect 9-0 following a postseason loss, including Games 2 and 5 of this West Finals
Can the Thunder again avoid consecutive losses tonight in Game 7 to return to the NBA Finals?

5. WEMBY LEADS SPURS INTO HIS FIRST CAREER GAME 7

Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

He’s done it with his play.

He can do it with his words.

And sometimes, Victor Wembanyama can set the tone for the Spurs with just his presence.

“He felt… an obligation to set a tone for us in a variety of ways,” coach Mitch Johnson said of Wemby during these West Finals.

Tonight, the 22-year-old is set to play the biggest game of his young career, in the series’ deciding game. Fortunately for the Spurs, their tone-setter’s never shied away from big moments.
- Alien Unwrapped: All eyes were on Wemby for his Christmas Day debut at MSG in 2024, where he set the Spurs’ record for most points on the Holiday with 42
- Emirates NBA Cup: Wemby (22 pts, 9 reb, 21 min) returned from a calf injury to fuel the Spurs’ knockout of OKC in this season’s Semifinals, before adding 18 points in the Cup championship against the Knicks
- “Wemby set the tone,” said All-Star Game MVP Anthony Edwards of first-time starter Wembanyama, who led Team World with 33 points on the day
“That’s kind of what Vic does,” Dylan Harper said in the West Finals. “He kind of steps into big moments. He’s never afraid of it. He loves that moment.”

Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images
- Embracing the moment in his first-career Playoffs has set Wembanyama apart as the first player ever to total 50+ blocks and 25+ made threes in one postseason run
- No Nerves: He’s also set a Spurs’ franchise record for most total points (350+) in a player’s first Playoffs
- “I think he has shown in his three years – in a lot of different situations, with a lot of different circumstances – that he’s gonna attack those moments,” coach Johnson said
Wemby’s Spurs will look to attack Game 7 tonight.
May 31, 2026
Starting 5: Instant classic Game 7 coming tonight? Spurs & Thunder meet for trip to NBA Finals
Names are made in the Playoffs, but Game 7s give us icons.

Who will play their way into the history books and push their team to the NBA Finals?

Spurs. Thunder. Game 7. Tonight at 8 ET on NBC & Peacock.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

May 30, 2026

Win Or Go Home: Everything to know for tonight’s Western Conference Finals Game 7 between the Spurs and Thunder

Thunder’s Path: From 8-0 to Game 7, how No. 1 OKC moved within one win of a Finals return

Spurs’ Mission: How San Antonio forged its own experience and forced the champs to Game 7

Been Here Before: Shai and OKC face first Game 7 since 2025 Finals clincher

Tone-Setter: Thriving in big moments, Wemby leads Spurs into his first career Game 7

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Game 7 Saturday…

It all comes down to this in the West. Forty-eight minutes to decide this chapter in one of the NBA’s hottest rivalries, and set up an NBA Finals matchup with the Knicks. Spurs-Thunder, Game 7, tonight (8 ET, NBC/Peacock | Tap To Watch).

Injury Report: OKC has listed both Jalen Williams (hamstring) and Ajay Mitchell (calf) out for Game 7.

Game 7 Reads: The Athletic’s Jared Weiss writes about Wemby setting the tone in Game 6 … Tim Reynolds of the AP covers the difference in the two teams heading into Game 7 … Andscape’s Marc Spears profiles Mitch Johnson, who’s earned the ‘full trust’ of the Spurs org.

1. EVERYTHING TO KNOW FOR GAME 7 IN 3 MINUTES

Morgan Givens/NBAE via Getty Images

Tonight marks the 160th Game 7 in NBA history. But few have looked quite like this one.

It’s the fifth of these 2026 Playoffs, tying the all-time mark for most in any NBA postseason.

It’s a win-or-go-home showdown between elite rivals, staged by two teams who know each other inside-and-out at this stage.

And, this isn’t even their first win-or-go-home matchup this season(!)

Tonight’s Spurs-Thunder finale (8 ET, NBC/Peacock) is adding up to be a Game 7 for the ages. Here’s everything you need to know:
- Most-Familiar Foes: Tonight represents the 12th meeting between San Antonio and OKC this season, just the second time in 30 years two teams have met that many times in a single season across the regular-season and Playoffs
- Win-Or-Go-Home, Again: In the short history of the NBA Cup, this is already the second time that two teams who met in a win-or-go-home Knockout Rounds game meet in a Playoff Game 7 later that year
- Spurs Took Round 1: San Antonio eliminated OKC – just its second loss of the season at that point – in the Cup Semifinal on Dec. 13. It was their first of the 12 meetings, building a rivalry forged in the season’s biggest moments
- West Parallels: The other two teams to wage two win-or-go-home games in the same season were the 2024-25 Rockets and Warriors, in the Cup Quarterfinals (Rockets win) and their First Round Game 7 in the Playoffs (Warriors win)
- Houston and Golden State also represent the last time the West Finals went to a Game 7, with the Warriors moving on to claim their second straight NBA title in 2018 – the NBA’s last repeat champion
The reigning champs are out to rewrite that fact, with a return trip to the Finals on the line tonight, while San Antonio aims to uphold the other end of that trend: A Spurs win would guarantee an eighth different champion in the last eight NBA seasons.
- Storm’s Edge: The Thunder are 4-2 in Game 7s in the OKC era, and 4-0 at home, where they’ll host tonight. Home teams are 117-42 all-time in Game 7s. The visiting Spurs are 4-7 all-time, and 1-5 on the road
- “Anything can happen in a Game 7,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said Thursday… “It being in your building is nice – it’s going to be nice having our fans behind us – but it doesn’t really mean anything. You have to… be the better basketball team.”
- Pressure Tested: OKC last played a Game 7 in last year’s Finals, topping Indiana to win it all. Chet Holmgren set a Finals Game 7 record with 5 blocks, while Shai (29 pts, 12 ast) claimed series MVP
- Still Shai: This will be the fourth Game 7 of Gilgeous-Alexander’s career (2-1), where the West’s 2026 postseason scoring leader (27.1 ppg) averages 27.7 ppg
- Trophy Tussle: This is the second time ever that the season’s Kia MVP and the Kia Defensive Player of the Year will face off in a Game 7. Shai and Wemby are also just the third pair of MVP finalists to meet in a Game 7 in 40 years
- Two Titans: This is the sixth Conference Finals Game 7 between the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds since 1983, and the first Game 7 in that same span featuring the teams with the two best records from that regular season
“I think a lot of fans are going to be happy,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said, looking ahead. “They say it’s the best line in sports, I believe.”

Game 7, tonight.

2. HOW THE NO. 1 THUNDER GOT TO GAME 7

Eight wins, zero losses.

The 2025 NBA Champion Thunder started their title defense undefeated through two rounds, before running into their fast-charging rival Spurs in the West Finals.

Six games of pure cinema later, and OKC needs one decisive win to return to the championship round. Here’s how the Thunder got to Game 7.
- The West’s top seed followed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s lead in its First Round series against Phoenix, as the MVP built up from 25 points in the Game 1 win, to 37 with 9 assists in Game 2, to a Playoff career-high 42 in Game 3
- Next-Man Experts: The return of Jalen Wiliams’ hamstring issues in Game 2 forced the Thunder to utilize the rotation depth they strengthened through injuries in the regular-season. Ajay Mitchell (15 pts) started Game 3’s win
- Storm Warning: Game 4’s series-clincher showcased Thunder themes still paying off two rounds later, with strong play from SGA (31 pts), Chet Holmgren (24 pts, 56.3 FG%), Mitchell (22 pts), Isaiah Hartenstein (18 pts, 12 reb), and Alex Caruso (4-6 3s)
“Just confidence-wise, as a group, it’s good to get the Playoff runs started off that way,” Shai said after Game 4… “You never know what can happen.”
- What happened next, in Round 2, was a concerted defensive effort by the No. 4 Lakers on SGA. After netting 135 total points on 55.1 FG% against Phoenix, L.A. held Shai to 98 points in four games on 47.1 FG%
- In his place, OKC got lead scoring efforts from Holmgren (20.0 ppg) and Mitchell (22.5 ppg), with Ajay logging his two highest-scoring Playoff games in Games 3 (24 pts) and 4 (28 pts). Jared McCain (11.5 ppg, 12-19 3s) also broke through
- Taking the first three games, OKC faced its first 4th-quarter deficit of these Playoffs in Game 4, as late as the final minute. But Holmgren slammed home the go-ahead dunk with 33 ticks left, to put away LeBron’s (24 pts) Lakers
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

“Hats off to my teammates,” Shai said. “Obviously, their goal was to make my teammates beat them in the first three games, and my teammates did exactly that…”

“In the Playoffs, no two games are the same,” he continued. “Especially when you change opponents. The challenges are all coming up.”
- The Thunder’s greatest challenge this year returned in the form of the No. 2 Spurs, who took Game 1 of the West Finals in OKC. The champs responded to take Games 2 and 3
- SGA rallied from Game 1 (7-23 FG) for 30 and 26-point outings in the two straight wins. OKC went back to Hartenstein (10 pts, 13 reb) in Game 2 vs. Wemby, and the Thunder bench scored 76 points in Game 3, headlined by 24 from McCain
- Game 5 put the champs within a win of a Finals return after they took the lead for good as the 1st quarter ended. 32 from Shai, 22 from Caruso and 20 from McCain in his first-career Playoff start helped put the Spurs’ season on the line
But after San Antonio sent the series to a final, deciding game, Caruso said the defending champs still control their own fate.

“They make it challenging but, for the most part, Game 7’s got to be about us… making sure we’re doing the stuff we need to do at a high level.”

3. HOW THE NO. 2 SPURS GOT TO GAME 7

Ronald Cortes/NBAE via Getty Images

Seven players making their NBA Playoff debuts.

Multiple games without their MVP finalist Victor Wembanyama and All-Star floor general De’Aaron Fox.

It’s been an up-and-down first venture into the postseason for this young Spurs core. Here’s how the West’s No. 2 seed has learned and applied in real-time to come within a game of the NBA Finals.
- “The atmosphere was different,” noted Victor Wembanyama in his first Playoff action, where he paced a Game 1 win over the Trail Blazers with a Spurs’ debut-record 35 points, including an NBA-record 21-point debut half
- Game 2 saw Wembanyama enter concussion protocol after a fall. San Antonio lost its lead at home in the 4th, but responded in Game 3, with Wemby out. Stephon Castle (33 pts) and Dylan Harper (27 pts) provided Playoff career-highs
- Wemby returned for Game 4 with San Antonio up 2-1, posting a monster line (27 pts, 11 reb, 4 stl, 7 blk) for his first road Playoff win. He then fueled the Game 5 closeout (17 pts, 14 reb, 6 blk), as his Spurs claimed their first elimination game
- “We gained experience and I’m still hungry for even better matchups,” Wemby said. “Definitely a different feeling to win against somebody and think that their season’s over.”
Anthony Edwards and the No. 6 Wolves were hungry too, coming to town as San Antonio’s next matchup. Minnesota was out to return to its third consecutive West Finals.

Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images
- Ant’s Surprise: Returning early from injury, Edwards’ (18 pts) 11-point 4th quarter stole the show in Game 1, despite Wemby’s (11 pts, 15 reb) historic 12-block triple-double
- “Offensively, I used too much energy on things that didn’t really help our team, so that’s on me,” Wembanyama said postgame
- The Spurs bounced back to hand the Wolves their largest-ever Playoff loss (133-95) in Game 2, and Wemby (39 pts, 15 reb) soared to his highest-scoring Playoff game at the time to grab the series lead in Game 3
- Following his first-career ejection in Game 4, Wembanyama returned on a mission in Game 5 (27 pts, 17 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk), and Castle (32 pts, 11 reb) led the charge in Game 6, where San Antonio led by as many as 37 to eliminate Minnesota
Overcoming the physical series with the Wolves, Castle looked ahead to a West Finals matchup with a Thunder squad San Antonio went 4-1 against in the regular-season.

“We know it’s going to be tough to knock them off, but we’re pretty confident we could do it,” said Castle.
- That confidence was on full display in Game 1, a double-OT thriller on OKC’s home floor, with an electric 41-point, 24-rebound performance from Wemby and a Spurs’ Playoff-record seven steals from Harper (24 pts)
- Clamps: After the champs won two straight, San Antonio rallied in Game 4 behind Wemby’s complete performance (33 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk) and a defensive showing that held OKC to a season-low 38-point 1st half
- Facing elimination after dropping Game 5, the young Spurs forced Game 7 on the strength of their 32-13 3rd-quarter takeover, where they held OKC scoreless for over 7 minutes in a 20-0 run. Wemby (28 pts, 10 reb, 3 blk) set the tone
So what will it take for San Antonio to unseat the reigning champion Thunder in Game 7?

“First thing is: listening to the experienced people, whether it’s on our team, on our staff, or outside,” Wemby said. “We got the chance to have plenty of those [people] around.”

4. SGA, OKC FACE FIRST GAME 7 SINCE 2025 FINALS CLINCHER

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

After San Antonio took Game 6, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about fatigue.

“Oh I’m good, I’m ready to go. Biggest game of my career… and if I lose, my season’s over.”

Put that way, the situation sounds daunting. But for SGA, the biggest games of his career have been some of his best.
- Mountain Climb: In the first of two Game 7s for the Thunder in last year’s title run, Shai (35 pts, 3 stl) outscored Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray to help put away the Nuggets in the West Semis
- “Every night’s an opportunity to learn and get better, and we’re gonna do so,” Shai said at the time of his young Thunder team gaining the big-game experience they lacked, in real-time
- Crash Course: That OKC squad was the 2nd-youngest team ever to win a championship, with an average age weighted by playing time of 25.36
- Completing that final step took one more Game 7, OKC’s most recent before tonight. SGA (29 pts, 12 ast, 2 blk) rose up again in that deciding game of the Finals against Indy, claiming the series’ MVP honors
Almost a year later, the champs now know exactly what it takes to win in these moments.
- “It’s going to take more than just Shai to beat [the Spurs], to beat any team at this point,” Alex Caruso said… “It’s just about being confident in each other and going out there and playing.”
- Responding Thunder: Over the last two Playoff runs, OKC is a perfect 9-0 following a postseason loss, including Games 2 and 5 of this West Finals
Can the Thunder again avoid consecutive losses tonight in Game 7 to return to the NBA Finals?

5. WEMBY LEADS SPURS INTO HIS FIRST CAREER GAME 7

Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

He’s done it with his play.

He can do it with his words.

And sometimes, Victor Wembanyama can set the tone for the Spurs with just his presence.

“He felt… an obligation to set a tone for us in a variety of ways,” coach Mitch Johnson said of Wemby during these West Finals.

Tonight, the 22-year-old is set to play the biggest game of his young career, in the series’ deciding game. Fortunately for the Spurs, their tone-setter’s never shied away from big moments.
- Alien Unwrapped: All eyes were on Wemby for his Christmas Day debut at MSG in 2024, where he set the Spurs’ record for most points on the Holiday with 42
- Emirates NBA Cup: Wemby (22 pts, 9 reb, 21 min) returned from a calf injury to fuel the Spurs’ knockout of OKC in this season’s Semifinals, before adding 18 points in the Cup championship against the Knicks
- “Wemby set the tone,” said All-Star Game MVP Anthony Edwards of first-time starter Wembanyama, who led Team World with 33 points on the day
“That’s kind of what Vic does,” Dylan Harper said in the West Finals. “He kind of steps into big moments. He’s never afraid of it. He loves that moment.”

Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images
- Embracing the moment in his first-career Playoffs has set Wembanyama apart as the first player ever to total 50+ blocks and 25+ made threes in one postseason run
- No Nerves: He’s also set a Spurs’ franchise record for most total points (350+) in a player’s first Playoffs
- “I think he has shown in his three years – in a lot of different situations, with a lot of different circumstances – that he’s gonna attack those moments,” coach Johnson said
Wemby’s Spurs will look to attack Game 7 tonight.
May 31, 2026
Starting 5: Instant classic Game 7 coming tonight? Spurs & Thunder meet for trip to NBA Finals
Names are made in the Playoffs, but Game 7s give us icons.

Who will play their way into the history books and push their team to the NBA Finals?

Spurs. Thunder. Game 7. Tonight at 8 ET on NBC & Peacock.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

May 30, 2026

Win Or Go Home: Everything to know for tonight’s Western Conference Finals Game 7 between the Spurs and Thunder

Thunder’s Path: From 8-0 to Game 7, how No. 1 OKC moved within one win of a Finals return

Spurs’ Mission: How San Antonio forged its own experience and forced the champs to Game 7

Been Here Before: Shai and OKC face first Game 7 since 2025 Finals clincher

Tone-Setter: Thriving in big moments, Wemby leads Spurs into his first career Game 7

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Game 7 Saturday…

It all comes down to this in the West. Forty-eight minutes to decide this chapter in one of the NBA’s hottest rivalries, and set up an NBA Finals matchup with the Knicks. Spurs-Thunder, Game 7, tonight (8 ET, NBC/Peacock | Tap To Watch).

Injury Report: OKC has listed both Jalen Williams (hamstring) and Ajay Mitchell (calf) out for Game 7.

Game 7 Reads: The Athletic’s Jared Weiss writes about Wemby setting the tone in Game 6 … Tim Reynolds of the AP covers the difference in the two teams heading into Game 7 … Andscape’s Marc Spears profiles Mitch Johnson, who’s earned the ‘full trust’ of the Spurs org.

1. EVERYTHING TO KNOW FOR GAME 7 IN 3 MINUTES

Morgan Givens/NBAE via Getty Images

Tonight marks the 160th Game 7 in NBA history. But few have looked quite like this one.

It’s the fifth of these 2026 Playoffs, tying the all-time mark for most in any NBA postseason.

It’s a win-or-go-home showdown between elite rivals, staged by two teams who know each other inside-and-out at this stage.

And, this isn’t even their first win-or-go-home matchup this season(!)

Tonight’s Spurs-Thunder finale (8 ET, NBC/Peacock) is adding up to be a Game 7 for the ages. Here’s everything you need to know:
- Most-Familiar Foes: Tonight represents the 12th meeting between San Antonio and OKC this season, just the second time in 30 years two teams have met that many times in a single season across the regular-season and Playoffs
- Win-Or-Go-Home, Again: In the short history of the NBA Cup, this is already the second time that two teams who met in a win-or-go-home Knockout Rounds game meet in a Playoff Game 7 later that year
- Spurs Took Round 1: San Antonio eliminated OKC – just its second loss of the season at that point – in the Cup Semifinal on Dec. 13. It was their first of the 12 meetings, building a rivalry forged in the season’s biggest moments
- West Parallels: The other two teams to wage two win-or-go-home games in the same season were the 2024-25 Rockets and Warriors, in the Cup Quarterfinals (Rockets win) and their First Round Game 7 in the Playoffs (Warriors win)
- Houston and Golden State also represent the last time the West Finals went to a Game 7, with the Warriors moving on to claim their second straight NBA title in 2018 – the NBA’s last repeat champion
The reigning champs are out to rewrite that fact, with a return trip to the Finals on the line tonight, while San Antonio aims to uphold the other end of that trend: A Spurs win would guarantee an eighth different champion in the last eight NBA seasons.
- Storm’s Edge: The Thunder are 4-2 in Game 7s in the OKC era, and 4-0 at home, where they’ll host tonight. Home teams are 117-42 all-time in Game 7s. The visiting Spurs are 4-7 all-time, and 1-5 on the road
- “Anything can happen in a Game 7,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said Thursday… “It being in your building is nice – it’s going to be nice having our fans behind us – but it doesn’t really mean anything. You have to… be the better basketball team.”
- Pressure Tested: OKC last played a Game 7 in last year’s Finals, topping Indiana to win it all. Chet Holmgren set a Finals Game 7 record with 5 blocks, while Shai (29 pts, 12 ast) claimed series MVP
- Still Shai: This will be the fourth Game 7 of Gilgeous-Alexander’s career (2-1), where the West’s 2026 postseason scoring leader (27.1 ppg) averages 27.7 ppg
- Trophy Tussle: This is the second time ever that the season’s Kia MVP and the Kia Defensive Player of the Year will face off in a Game 7. Shai and Wemby are also just the third pair of MVP finalists to meet in a Game 7 in 40 years
- Two Titans: This is the sixth Conference Finals Game 7 between the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds since 1983, and the first Game 7 in that same span featuring the teams with the two best records from that regular season
“I think a lot of fans are going to be happy,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said, looking ahead. “They say it’s the best line in sports, I believe.”

Game 7, tonight.

2. HOW THE NO. 1 THUNDER GOT TO GAME 7

Eight wins, zero losses.

The 2025 NBA Champion Thunder started their title defense undefeated through two rounds, before running into their fast-charging rival Spurs in the West Finals.

Six games of pure cinema later, and OKC needs one decisive win to return to the championship round. Here’s how the Thunder got to Game 7.
- The West’s top seed followed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s lead in its First Round series against Phoenix, as the MVP built up from 25 points in the Game 1 win, to 37 with 9 assists in Game 2, to a Playoff career-high 42 in Game 3
- Next-Man Experts: The return of Jalen Wiliams’ hamstring issues in Game 2 forced the Thunder to utilize the rotation depth they strengthened through injuries in the regular-season. Ajay Mitchell (15 pts) started Game 3’s win
- Storm Warning: Game 4’s series-clincher showcased Thunder themes still paying off two rounds later, with strong play from SGA (31 pts), Chet Holmgren (24 pts, 56.3 FG%), Mitchell (22 pts), Isaiah Hartenstein (18 pts, 12 reb), and Alex Caruso (4-6 3s)
“Just confidence-wise, as a group, it’s good to get the Playoff runs started off that way,” Shai said after Game 4… “You never know what can happen.”
- What happened next, in Round 2, was a concerted defensive effort by the No. 4 Lakers on SGA. After netting 135 total points on 55.1 FG% against Phoenix, L.A. held Shai to 98 points in four games on 47.1 FG%
- In his place, OKC got lead scoring efforts from Holmgren (20.0 ppg) and Mitchell (22.5 ppg), with Ajay logging his two highest-scoring Playoff games in Games 3 (24 pts) and 4 (28 pts). Jared McCain (11.5 ppg, 12-19 3s) also broke through
- Taking the first three games, OKC faced its first 4th-quarter deficit of these Playoffs in Game 4, as late as the final minute. But Holmgren slammed home the go-ahead dunk with 33 ticks left, to put away LeBron’s (24 pts) Lakers
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

“Hats off to my teammates,” Shai said. “Obviously, their goal was to make my teammates beat them in the first three games, and my teammates did exactly that…”

“In the Playoffs, no two games are the same,” he continued. “Especially when you change opponents. The challenges are all coming up.”
- The Thunder’s greatest challenge this year returned in the form of the No. 2 Spurs, who took Game 1 of the West Finals in OKC. The champs responded to take Games 2 and 3
- SGA rallied from Game 1 (7-23 FG) for 30 and 26-point outings in the two straight wins. OKC went back to Hartenstein (10 pts, 13 reb) in Game 2 vs. Wemby, and the Thunder bench scored 76 points in Game 3, headlined by 24 from McCain
- Game 5 put the champs within a win of a Finals return after they took the lead for good as the 1st quarter ended. 32 from Shai, 22 from Caruso and 20 from McCain in his first-career Playoff start helped put the Spurs’ season on the line
But after San Antonio sent the series to a final, deciding game, Caruso said the defending champs still control their own fate.

“They make it challenging but, for the most part, Game 7’s got to be about us… making sure we’re doing the stuff we need to do at a high level.”

3. HOW THE NO. 2 SPURS GOT TO GAME 7

Ronald Cortes/NBAE via Getty Images

Seven players making their NBA Playoff debuts.

Multiple games without their MVP finalist Victor Wembanyama and All-Star floor general De’Aaron Fox.

It’s been an up-and-down first venture into the postseason for this young Spurs core. Here’s how the West’s No. 2 seed has learned and applied in real-time to come within a game of the NBA Finals.
- “The atmosphere was different,” noted Victor Wembanyama in his first Playoff action, where he paced a Game 1 win over the Trail Blazers with a Spurs’ debut-record 35 points, including an NBA-record 21-point debut half
- Game 2 saw Wembanyama enter concussion protocol after a fall. San Antonio lost its lead at home in the 4th, but responded in Game 3, with Wemby out. Stephon Castle (33 pts) and Dylan Harper (27 pts) provided Playoff career-highs
- Wemby returned for Game 4 with San Antonio up 2-1, posting a monster line (27 pts, 11 reb, 4 stl, 7 blk) for his first road Playoff win. He then fueled the Game 5 closeout (17 pts, 14 reb, 6 blk), as his Spurs claimed their first elimination game
- “We gained experience and I’m still hungry for even better matchups,” Wemby said. “Definitely a different feeling to win against somebody and think that their season’s over.”
Anthony Edwards and the No. 6 Wolves were hungry too, coming to town as San Antonio’s next matchup. Minnesota was out to return to its third consecutive West Finals.

Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images
- Ant’s Surprise: Returning early from injury, Edwards’ (18 pts) 11-point 4th quarter stole the show in Game 1, despite Wemby’s (11 pts, 15 reb) historic 12-block triple-double
- “Offensively, I used too much energy on things that didn’t really help our team, so that’s on me,” Wembanyama said postgame
- The Spurs bounced back to hand the Wolves their largest-ever Playoff loss (133-95) in Game 2, and Wemby (39 pts, 15 reb) soared to his highest-scoring Playoff game at the time to grab the series lead in Game 3
- Following his first-career ejection in Game 4, Wembanyama returned on a mission in Game 5 (27 pts, 17 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk), and Castle (32 pts, 11 reb) led the charge in Game 6, where San Antonio led by as many as 37 to eliminate Minnesota
Overcoming the physical series with the Wolves, Castle looked ahead to a West Finals matchup with a Thunder squad San Antonio went 4-1 against in the regular-season.

“We know it’s going to be tough to knock them off, but we’re pretty confident we could do it,” said Castle.
- That confidence was on full display in Game 1, a double-OT thriller on OKC’s home floor, with an electric 41-point, 24-rebound performance from Wemby and a Spurs’ Playoff-record seven steals from Harper (24 pts)
- Clamps: After the champs won two straight, San Antonio rallied in Game 4 behind Wemby’s complete performance (33 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk) and a defensive showing that held OKC to a season-low 38-point 1st half
- Facing elimination after dropping Game 5, the young Spurs forced Game 7 on the strength of their 32-13 3rd-quarter takeover, where they held OKC scoreless for over 7 minutes in a 20-0 run. Wemby (28 pts, 10 reb, 3 blk) set the tone
So what will it take for San Antonio to unseat the reigning champion Thunder in Game 7?

“First thing is: listening to the experienced people, whether it’s on our team, on our staff, or outside,” Wemby said. “We got the chance to have plenty of those [people] around.”

4. SGA, OKC FACE FIRST GAME 7 SINCE 2025 FINALS CLINCHER

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

After San Antonio took Game 6, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about fatigue.

“Oh I’m good, I’m ready to go. Biggest game of my career… and if I lose, my season’s over.”

Put that way, the situation sounds daunting. But for SGA, the biggest games of his career have been some of his best.
- Mountain Climb: In the first of two Game 7s for the Thunder in last year’s title run, Shai (35 pts, 3 stl) outscored Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray to help put away the Nuggets in the West Semis
- “Every night’s an opportunity to learn and get better, and we’re gonna do so,” Shai said at the time of his young Thunder team gaining the big-game experience they lacked, in real-time
- Crash Course: That OKC squad was the 2nd-youngest team ever to win a championship, with an average age weighted by playing time of 25.36
- Completing that final step took one more Game 7, OKC’s most recent before tonight. SGA (29 pts, 12 ast, 2 blk) rose up again in that deciding game of the Finals against Indy, claiming the series’ MVP honors
Almost a year later, the champs now know exactly what it takes to win in these moments.
- “It’s going to take more than just Shai to beat [the Spurs], to beat any team at this point,” Alex Caruso said… “It’s just about being confident in each other and going out there and playing.”
- Responding Thunder: Over the last two Playoff runs, OKC is a perfect 9-0 following a postseason loss, including Games 2 and 5 of this West Finals
Can the Thunder again avoid consecutive losses tonight in Game 7 to return to the NBA Finals?

5. WEMBY LEADS SPURS INTO HIS FIRST CAREER GAME 7

Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

He’s done it with his play.

He can do it with his words.

And sometimes, Victor Wembanyama can set the tone for the Spurs with just his presence.

“He felt… an obligation to set a tone for us in a variety of ways,” coach Mitch Johnson said of Wemby during these West Finals.

Tonight, the 22-year-old is set to play the biggest game of his young career, in the series’ deciding game. Fortunately for the Spurs, their tone-setter’s never shied away from big moments.
- Alien Unwrapped: All eyes were on Wemby for his Christmas Day debut at MSG in 2024, where he set the Spurs’ record for most points on the Holiday with 42
- Emirates NBA Cup: Wemby (22 pts, 9 reb, 21 min) returned from a calf injury to fuel the Spurs’ knockout of OKC in this season’s Semifinals, before adding 18 points in the Cup championship against the Knicks
- “Wemby set the tone,” said All-Star Game MVP Anthony Edwards of first-time starter Wembanyama, who led Team World with 33 points on the day
“That’s kind of what Vic does,” Dylan Harper said in the West Finals. “He kind of steps into big moments. He’s never afraid of it. He loves that moment.”

Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images
- Embracing the moment in his first-career Playoffs has set Wembanyama apart as the first player ever to total 50+ blocks and 25+ made threes in one postseason run
- No Nerves: He’s also set a Spurs’ franchise record for most total points (350+) in a player’s first Playoffs
- “I think he has shown in his three years – in a lot of different situations, with a lot of different circumstances – that he’s gonna attack those moments,” coach Johnson said
Wemby’s Spurs will look to attack Game 7 tonight.
May 31, 2026
Starting 5: Instant classic Game 7 coming tonight? Spurs & Thunder meet for trip to NBA Finals
Names are made in the Playoffs, but Game 7s give us icons.

Who will play their way into the history books and push their team to the NBA Finals?

Spurs. Thunder. Game 7. Tonight at 8 ET on NBC & Peacock.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

May 30, 2026

Win Or Go Home: Everything to know for tonight’s Western Conference Finals Game 7 between the Spurs and Thunder

Thunder’s Path: From 8-0 to Game 7, how No. 1 OKC moved within one win of a Finals return

Spurs’ Mission: How San Antonio forged its own experience and forced the champs to Game 7

Been Here Before: Shai and OKC face first Game 7 since 2025 Finals clincher

Tone-Setter: Thriving in big moments, Wemby leads Spurs into his first career Game 7

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Game 7 Saturday…

It all comes down to this in the West. Forty-eight minutes to decide this chapter in one of the NBA’s hottest rivalries, and set up an NBA Finals matchup with the Knicks. Spurs-Thunder, Game 7, tonight (8 ET, NBC/Peacock | Tap To Watch).

Injury Report: OKC has listed both Jalen Williams (hamstring) and Ajay Mitchell (calf) out for Game 7.

Game 7 Reads: The Athletic’s Jared Weiss writes about Wemby setting the tone in Game 6 … Tim Reynolds of the AP covers the difference in the two teams heading into Game 7 … Andscape’s Marc Spears profiles Mitch Johnson, who’s earned the ‘full trust’ of the Spurs org.

1. EVERYTHING TO KNOW FOR GAME 7 IN 3 MINUTES

Morgan Givens/NBAE via Getty Images

Tonight marks the 160th Game 7 in NBA history. But few have looked quite like this one.

It’s the fifth of these 2026 Playoffs, tying the all-time mark for most in any NBA postseason.

It’s a win-or-go-home showdown between elite rivals, staged by two teams who know each other inside-and-out at this stage.

And, this isn’t even their first win-or-go-home matchup this season(!)

Tonight’s Spurs-Thunder finale (8 ET, NBC/Peacock) is adding up to be a Game 7 for the ages. Here’s everything you need to know:
- Most-Familiar Foes: Tonight represents the 12th meeting between San Antonio and OKC this season, just the second time in 30 years two teams have met that many times in a single season across the regular-season and Playoffs
- Win-Or-Go-Home, Again: In the short history of the NBA Cup, this is already the second time that two teams who met in a win-or-go-home Knockout Rounds game meet in a Playoff Game 7 later that year
- Spurs Took Round 1: San Antonio eliminated OKC – just its second loss of the season at that point – in the Cup Semifinal on Dec. 13. It was their first of the 12 meetings, building a rivalry forged in the season’s biggest moments
- West Parallels: The other two teams to wage two win-or-go-home games in the same season were the 2024-25 Rockets and Warriors, in the Cup Quarterfinals (Rockets win) and their First Round Game 7 in the Playoffs (Warriors win)
- Houston and Golden State also represent the last time the West Finals went to a Game 7, with the Warriors moving on to claim their second straight NBA title in 2018 – the NBA’s last repeat champion
The reigning champs are out to rewrite that fact, with a return trip to the Finals on the line tonight, while San Antonio aims to uphold the other end of that trend: A Spurs win would guarantee an eighth different champion in the last eight NBA seasons.
- Storm’s Edge: The Thunder are 4-2 in Game 7s in the OKC era, and 4-0 at home, where they’ll host tonight. Home teams are 117-42 all-time in Game 7s. The visiting Spurs are 4-7 all-time, and 1-5 on the road
- “Anything can happen in a Game 7,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said Thursday… “It being in your building is nice – it’s going to be nice having our fans behind us – but it doesn’t really mean anything. You have to… be the better basketball team.”
- Pressure Tested: OKC last played a Game 7 in last year’s Finals, topping Indiana to win it all. Chet Holmgren set a Finals Game 7 record with 5 blocks, while Shai (29 pts, 12 ast) claimed series MVP
- Still Shai: This will be the fourth Game 7 of Gilgeous-Alexander’s career (2-1), where the West’s 2026 postseason scoring leader (27.1 ppg) averages 27.7 ppg
- Trophy Tussle: This is the second time ever that the season’s Kia MVP and the Kia Defensive Player of the Year will face off in a Game 7. Shai and Wemby are also just the third pair of MVP finalists to meet in a Game 7 in 40 years
- Two Titans: This is the sixth Conference Finals Game 7 between the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds since 1983, and the first Game 7 in that same span featuring the teams with the two best records from that regular season
“I think a lot of fans are going to be happy,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said, looking ahead. “They say it’s the best line in sports, I believe.”

Game 7, tonight.

2. HOW THE NO. 1 THUNDER GOT TO GAME 7

Eight wins, zero losses.

The 2025 NBA Champion Thunder started their title defense undefeated through two rounds, before running into their fast-charging rival Spurs in the West Finals.

Six games of pure cinema later, and OKC needs one decisive win to return to the championship round. Here’s how the Thunder got to Game 7.
- The West’s top seed followed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s lead in its First Round series against Phoenix, as the MVP built up from 25 points in the Game 1 win, to 37 with 9 assists in Game 2, to a Playoff career-high 42 in Game 3
- Next-Man Experts: The return of Jalen Wiliams’ hamstring issues in Game 2 forced the Thunder to utilize the rotation depth they strengthened through injuries in the regular-season. Ajay Mitchell (15 pts) started Game 3’s win
- Storm Warning: Game 4’s series-clincher showcased Thunder themes still paying off two rounds later, with strong play from SGA (31 pts), Chet Holmgren (24 pts, 56.3 FG%), Mitchell (22 pts), Isaiah Hartenstein (18 pts, 12 reb), and Alex Caruso (4-6 3s)
“Just confidence-wise, as a group, it’s good to get the Playoff runs started off that way,” Shai said after Game 4… “You never know what can happen.”
- What happened next, in Round 2, was a concerted defensive effort by the No. 4 Lakers on SGA. After netting 135 total points on 55.1 FG% against Phoenix, L.A. held Shai to 98 points in four games on 47.1 FG%
- In his place, OKC got lead scoring efforts from Holmgren (20.0 ppg) and Mitchell (22.5 ppg), with Ajay logging his two highest-scoring Playoff games in Games 3 (24 pts) and 4 (28 pts). Jared McCain (11.5 ppg, 12-19 3s) also broke through
- Taking the first three games, OKC faced its first 4th-quarter deficit of these Playoffs in Game 4, as late as the final minute. But Holmgren slammed home the go-ahead dunk with 33 ticks left, to put away LeBron’s (24 pts) Lakers
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

“Hats off to my teammates,” Shai said. “Obviously, their goal was to make my teammates beat them in the first three games, and my teammates did exactly that…”

“In the Playoffs, no two games are the same,” he continued. “Especially when you change opponents. The challenges are all coming up.”
- The Thunder’s greatest challenge this year returned in the form of the No. 2 Spurs, who took Game 1 of the West Finals in OKC. The champs responded to take Games 2 and 3
- SGA rallied from Game 1 (7-23 FG) for 30 and 26-point outings in the two straight wins. OKC went back to Hartenstein (10 pts, 13 reb) in Game 2 vs. Wemby, and the Thunder bench scored 76 points in Game 3, headlined by 24 from McCain
- Game 5 put the champs within a win of a Finals return after they took the lead for good as the 1st quarter ended. 32 from Shai, 22 from Caruso and 20 from McCain in his first-career Playoff start helped put the Spurs’ season on the line
But after San Antonio sent the series to a final, deciding game, Caruso said the defending champs still control their own fate.

“They make it challenging but, for the most part, Game 7’s got to be about us… making sure we’re doing the stuff we need to do at a high level.”

3. HOW THE NO. 2 SPURS GOT TO GAME 7

Ronald Cortes/NBAE via Getty Images

Seven players making their NBA Playoff debuts.

Multiple games without their MVP finalist Victor Wembanyama and All-Star floor general De’Aaron Fox.

It’s been an up-and-down first venture into the postseason for this young Spurs core. Here’s how the West’s No. 2 seed has learned and applied in real-time to come within a game of the NBA Finals.
- “The atmosphere was different,” noted Victor Wembanyama in his first Playoff action, where he paced a Game 1 win over the Trail Blazers with a Spurs’ debut-record 35 points, including an NBA-record 21-point debut half
- Game 2 saw Wembanyama enter concussion protocol after a fall. San Antonio lost its lead at home in the 4th, but responded in Game 3, with Wemby out. Stephon Castle (33 pts) and Dylan Harper (27 pts) provided Playoff career-highs
- Wemby returned for Game 4 with San Antonio up 2-1, posting a monster line (27 pts, 11 reb, 4 stl, 7 blk) for his first road Playoff win. He then fueled the Game 5 closeout (17 pts, 14 reb, 6 blk), as his Spurs claimed their first elimination game
- “We gained experience and I’m still hungry for even better matchups,” Wemby said. “Definitely a different feeling to win against somebody and think that their season’s over.”
Anthony Edwards and the No. 6 Wolves were hungry too, coming to town as San Antonio’s next matchup. Minnesota was out to return to its third consecutive West Finals.

Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images
- Ant’s Surprise: Returning early from injury, Edwards’ (18 pts) 11-point 4th quarter stole the show in Game 1, despite Wemby’s (11 pts, 15 reb) historic 12-block triple-double
- “Offensively, I used too much energy on things that didn’t really help our team, so that’s on me,” Wembanyama said postgame
- The Spurs bounced back to hand the Wolves their largest-ever Playoff loss (133-95) in Game 2, and Wemby (39 pts, 15 reb) soared to his highest-scoring Playoff game at the time to grab the series lead in Game 3
- Following his first-career ejection in Game 4, Wembanyama returned on a mission in Game 5 (27 pts, 17 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk), and Castle (32 pts, 11 reb) led the charge in Game 6, where San Antonio led by as many as 37 to eliminate Minnesota
Overcoming the physical series with the Wolves, Castle looked ahead to a West Finals matchup with a Thunder squad San Antonio went 4-1 against in the regular-season.

“We know it’s going to be tough to knock them off, but we’re pretty confident we could do it,” said Castle.
- That confidence was on full display in Game 1, a double-OT thriller on OKC’s home floor, with an electric 41-point, 24-rebound performance from Wemby and a Spurs’ Playoff-record seven steals from Harper (24 pts)
- Clamps: After the champs won two straight, San Antonio rallied in Game 4 behind Wemby’s complete performance (33 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk) and a defensive showing that held OKC to a season-low 38-point 1st half
- Facing elimination after dropping Game 5, the young Spurs forced Game 7 on the strength of their 32-13 3rd-quarter takeover, where they held OKC scoreless for over 7 minutes in a 20-0 run. Wemby (28 pts, 10 reb, 3 blk) set the tone
So what will it take for San Antonio to unseat the reigning champion Thunder in Game 7?

“First thing is: listening to the experienced people, whether it’s on our team, on our staff, or outside,” Wemby said. “We got the chance to have plenty of those [people] around.”

4. SGA, OKC FACE FIRST GAME 7 SINCE 2025 FINALS CLINCHER

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

After San Antonio took Game 6, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about fatigue.

“Oh I’m good, I’m ready to go. Biggest game of my career… and if I lose, my season’s over.”

Put that way, the situation sounds daunting. But for SGA, the biggest games of his career have been some of his best.
- Mountain Climb: In the first of two Game 7s for the Thunder in last year’s title run, Shai (35 pts, 3 stl) outscored Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray to help put away the Nuggets in the West Semis
- “Every night’s an opportunity to learn and get better, and we’re gonna do so,” Shai said at the time of his young Thunder team gaining the big-game experience they lacked, in real-time
- Crash Course: That OKC squad was the 2nd-youngest team ever to win a championship, with an average age weighted by playing time of 25.36
- Completing that final step took one more Game 7, OKC’s most recent before tonight. SGA (29 pts, 12 ast, 2 blk) rose up again in that deciding game of the Finals against Indy, claiming the series’ MVP honors
Almost a year later, the champs now know exactly what it takes to win in these moments.
- “It’s going to take more than just Shai to beat [the Spurs], to beat any team at this point,” Alex Caruso said… “It’s just about being confident in each other and going out there and playing.”
- Responding Thunder: Over the last two Playoff runs, OKC is a perfect 9-0 following a postseason loss, including Games 2 and 5 of this West Finals
Can the Thunder again avoid consecutive losses tonight in Game 7 to return to the NBA Finals?

5. WEMBY LEADS SPURS INTO HIS FIRST CAREER GAME 7

Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

He’s done it with his play.

He can do it with his words.

And sometimes, Victor Wembanyama can set the tone for the Spurs with just his presence.

“He felt… an obligation to set a tone for us in a variety of ways,” coach Mitch Johnson said of Wemby during these West Finals.

Tonight, the 22-year-old is set to play the biggest game of his young career, in the series’ deciding game. Fortunately for the Spurs, their tone-setter’s never shied away from big moments.
- Alien Unwrapped: All eyes were on Wemby for his Christmas Day debut at MSG in 2024, where he set the Spurs’ record for most points on the Holiday with 42
- Emirates NBA Cup: Wemby (22 pts, 9 reb, 21 min) returned from a calf injury to fuel the Spurs’ knockout of OKC in this season’s Semifinals, before adding 18 points in the Cup championship against the Knicks
- “Wemby set the tone,” said All-Star Game MVP Anthony Edwards of first-time starter Wembanyama, who led Team World with 33 points on the day
“That’s kind of what Vic does,” Dylan Harper said in the West Finals. “He kind of steps into big moments. He’s never afraid of it. He loves that moment.”

Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images
- Embracing the moment in his first-career Playoffs has set Wembanyama apart as the first player ever to total 50+ blocks and 25+ made threes in one postseason run
- No Nerves: He’s also set a Spurs’ franchise record for most total points (350+) in a player’s first Playoffs
- “I think he has shown in his three years – in a lot of different situations, with a lot of different circumstances – that he’s gonna attack those moments,” coach Johnson said
Wemby’s Spurs will look to attack Game 7 tonight.
May 31, 2026
Starting 5: Instant classic Game 7 coming tonight? Spurs & Thunder meet for trip to NBA Finals
Names are made in the Playoffs, but Game 7s give us icons.

Who will play their way into the history books and push their team to the NBA Finals?

Spurs. Thunder. Game 7. Tonight at 8 ET on NBC & Peacock.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

May 30, 2026

Win Or Go Home: Everything to know for tonight’s Western Conference Finals Game 7 between the Spurs and Thunder

Thunder’s Path: From 8-0 to Game 7, how No. 1 OKC moved within one win of a Finals return

Spurs’ Mission: How San Antonio forged its own experience and forced the champs to Game 7

Been Here Before: Shai and OKC face first Game 7 since 2025 Finals clincher

Tone-Setter: Thriving in big moments, Wemby leads Spurs into his first career Game 7

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Game 7 Saturday…

It all comes down to this in the West. Forty-eight minutes to decide this chapter in one of the NBA’s hottest rivalries, and set up an NBA Finals matchup with the Knicks. Spurs-Thunder, Game 7, tonight (8 ET, NBC/Peacock | Tap To Watch).

Injury Report: OKC has listed both Jalen Williams (hamstring) and Ajay Mitchell (calf) out for Game 7.

Game 7 Reads: The Athletic’s Jared Weiss writes about Wemby setting the tone in Game 6 … Tim Reynolds of the AP covers the difference in the two teams heading into Game 7 … Andscape’s Marc Spears profiles Mitch Johnson, who’s earned the ‘full trust’ of the Spurs org.

1. EVERYTHING TO KNOW FOR GAME 7 IN 3 MINUTES

Morgan Givens/NBAE via Getty Images

Tonight marks the 160th Game 7 in NBA history. But few have looked quite like this one.

It’s the fifth of these 2026 Playoffs, tying the all-time mark for most in any NBA postseason.

It’s a win-or-go-home showdown between elite rivals, staged by two teams who know each other inside-and-out at this stage.

And, this isn’t even their first win-or-go-home matchup this season(!)

Tonight’s Spurs-Thunder finale (8 ET, NBC/Peacock) is adding up to be a Game 7 for the ages. Here’s everything you need to know:
- Most-Familiar Foes: Tonight represents the 12th meeting between San Antonio and OKC this season, just the second time in 30 years two teams have met that many times in a single season across the regular-season and Playoffs
- Win-Or-Go-Home, Again: In the short history of the NBA Cup, this is already the second time that two teams who met in a win-or-go-home Knockout Rounds game meet in a Playoff Game 7 later that year
- Spurs Took Round 1: San Antonio eliminated OKC – just its second loss of the season at that point – in the Cup Semifinal on Dec. 13. It was their first of the 12 meetings, building a rivalry forged in the season’s biggest moments
- West Parallels: The other two teams to wage two win-or-go-home games in the same season were the 2024-25 Rockets and Warriors, in the Cup Quarterfinals (Rockets win) and their First Round Game 7 in the Playoffs (Warriors win)
- Houston and Golden State also represent the last time the West Finals went to a Game 7, with the Warriors moving on to claim their second straight NBA title in 2018 – the NBA’s last repeat champion
The reigning champs are out to rewrite that fact, with a return trip to the Finals on the line tonight, while San Antonio aims to uphold the other end of that trend: A Spurs win would guarantee an eighth different champion in the last eight NBA seasons.
- Storm’s Edge: The Thunder are 4-2 in Game 7s in the OKC era, and 4-0 at home, where they’ll host tonight. Home teams are 117-42 all-time in Game 7s. The visiting Spurs are 4-7 all-time, and 1-5 on the road
- “Anything can happen in a Game 7,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said Thursday… “It being in your building is nice – it’s going to be nice having our fans behind us – but it doesn’t really mean anything. You have to… be the better basketball team.”
- Pressure Tested: OKC last played a Game 7 in last year’s Finals, topping Indiana to win it all. Chet Holmgren set a Finals Game 7 record with 5 blocks, while Shai (29 pts, 12 ast) claimed series MVP
- Still Shai: This will be the fourth Game 7 of Gilgeous-Alexander’s career (2-1), where the West’s 2026 postseason scoring leader (27.1 ppg) averages 27.7 ppg
- Trophy Tussle: This is the second time ever that the season’s Kia MVP and the Kia Defensive Player of the Year will face off in a Game 7. Shai and Wemby are also just the third pair of MVP finalists to meet in a Game 7 in 40 years
- Two Titans: This is the sixth Conference Finals Game 7 between the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds since 1983, and the first Game 7 in that same span featuring the teams with the two best records from that regular season
“I think a lot of fans are going to be happy,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said, looking ahead. “They say it’s the best line in sports, I believe.”

Game 7, tonight.

2. HOW THE NO. 1 THUNDER GOT TO GAME 7

Eight wins, zero losses.

The 2025 NBA Champion Thunder started their title defense undefeated through two rounds, before running into their fast-charging rival Spurs in the West Finals.

Six games of pure cinema later, and OKC needs one decisive win to return to the championship round. Here’s how the Thunder got to Game 7.
- The West’s top seed followed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s lead in its First Round series against Phoenix, as the MVP built up from 25 points in the Game 1 win, to 37 with 9 assists in Game 2, to a Playoff career-high 42 in Game 3
- Next-Man Experts: The return of Jalen Wiliams’ hamstring issues in Game 2 forced the Thunder to utilize the rotation depth they strengthened through injuries in the regular-season. Ajay Mitchell (15 pts) started Game 3’s win
- Storm Warning: Game 4’s series-clincher showcased Thunder themes still paying off two rounds later, with strong play from SGA (31 pts), Chet Holmgren (24 pts, 56.3 FG%), Mitchell (22 pts), Isaiah Hartenstein (18 pts, 12 reb), and Alex Caruso (4-6 3s)
“Just confidence-wise, as a group, it’s good to get the Playoff runs started off that way,” Shai said after Game 4… “You never know what can happen.”
- What happened next, in Round 2, was a concerted defensive effort by the No. 4 Lakers on SGA. After netting 135 total points on 55.1 FG% against Phoenix, L.A. held Shai to 98 points in four games on 47.1 FG%
- In his place, OKC got lead scoring efforts from Holmgren (20.0 ppg) and Mitchell (22.5 ppg), with Ajay logging his two highest-scoring Playoff games in Games 3 (24 pts) and 4 (28 pts). Jared McCain (11.5 ppg, 12-19 3s) also broke through
- Taking the first three games, OKC faced its first 4th-quarter deficit of these Playoffs in Game 4, as late as the final minute. But Holmgren slammed home the go-ahead dunk with 33 ticks left, to put away LeBron’s (24 pts) Lakers
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

“Hats off to my teammates,” Shai said. “Obviously, their goal was to make my teammates beat them in the first three games, and my teammates did exactly that…”

“In the Playoffs, no two games are the same,” he continued. “Especially when you change opponents. The challenges are all coming up.”
- The Thunder’s greatest challenge this year returned in the form of the No. 2 Spurs, who took Game 1 of the West Finals in OKC. The champs responded to take Games 2 and 3
- SGA rallied from Game 1 (7-23 FG) for 30 and 26-point outings in the two straight wins. OKC went back to Hartenstein (10 pts, 13 reb) in Game 2 vs. Wemby, and the Thunder bench scored 76 points in Game 3, headlined by 24 from McCain
- Game 5 put the champs within a win of a Finals return after they took the lead for good as the 1st quarter ended. 32 from Shai, 22 from Caruso and 20 from McCain in his first-career Playoff start helped put the Spurs’ season on the line
But after San Antonio sent the series to a final, deciding game, Caruso said the defending champs still control their own fate.

“They make it challenging but, for the most part, Game 7’s got to be about us… making sure we’re doing the stuff we need to do at a high level.”

3. HOW THE NO. 2 SPURS GOT TO GAME 7

Ronald Cortes/NBAE via Getty Images

Seven players making their NBA Playoff debuts.

Multiple games without their MVP finalist Victor Wembanyama and All-Star floor general De’Aaron Fox.

It’s been an up-and-down first venture into the postseason for this young Spurs core. Here’s how the West’s No. 2 seed has learned and applied in real-time to come within a game of the NBA Finals.
- “The atmosphere was different,” noted Victor Wembanyama in his first Playoff action, where he paced a Game 1 win over the Trail Blazers with a Spurs’ debut-record 35 points, including an NBA-record 21-point debut half
- Game 2 saw Wembanyama enter concussion protocol after a fall. San Antonio lost its lead at home in the 4th, but responded in Game 3, with Wemby out. Stephon Castle (33 pts) and Dylan Harper (27 pts) provided Playoff career-highs
- Wemby returned for Game 4 with San Antonio up 2-1, posting a monster line (27 pts, 11 reb, 4 stl, 7 blk) for his first road Playoff win. He then fueled the Game 5 closeout (17 pts, 14 reb, 6 blk), as his Spurs claimed their first elimination game
- “We gained experience and I’m still hungry for even better matchups,” Wemby said. “Definitely a different feeling to win against somebody and think that their season’s over.”
Anthony Edwards and the No. 6 Wolves were hungry too, coming to town as San Antonio’s next matchup. Minnesota was out to return to its third consecutive West Finals.

Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images
- Ant’s Surprise: Returning early from injury, Edwards’ (18 pts) 11-point 4th quarter stole the show in Game 1, despite Wemby’s (11 pts, 15 reb) historic 12-block triple-double
- “Offensively, I used too much energy on things that didn’t really help our team, so that’s on me,” Wembanyama said postgame
- The Spurs bounced back to hand the Wolves their largest-ever Playoff loss (133-95) in Game 2, and Wemby (39 pts, 15 reb) soared to his highest-scoring Playoff game at the time to grab the series lead in Game 3
- Following his first-career ejection in Game 4, Wembanyama returned on a mission in Game 5 (27 pts, 17 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk), and Castle (32 pts, 11 reb) led the charge in Game 6, where San Antonio led by as many as 37 to eliminate Minnesota
Overcoming the physical series with the Wolves, Castle looked ahead to a West Finals matchup with a Thunder squad San Antonio went 4-1 against in the regular-season.

“We know it’s going to be tough to knock them off, but we’re pretty confident we could do it,” said Castle.
- That confidence was on full display in Game 1, a double-OT thriller on OKC’s home floor, with an electric 41-point, 24-rebound performance from Wemby and a Spurs’ Playoff-record seven steals from Harper (24 pts)
- Clamps: After the champs won two straight, San Antonio rallied in Game 4 behind Wemby’s complete performance (33 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk) and a defensive showing that held OKC to a season-low 38-point 1st half
- Facing elimination after dropping Game 5, the young Spurs forced Game 7 on the strength of their 32-13 3rd-quarter takeover, where they held OKC scoreless for over 7 minutes in a 20-0 run. Wemby (28 pts, 10 reb, 3 blk) set the tone
So what will it take for San Antonio to unseat the reigning champion Thunder in Game 7?

“First thing is: listening to the experienced people, whether it’s on our team, on our staff, or outside,” Wemby said. “We got the chance to have plenty of those [people] around.”

4. SGA, OKC FACE FIRST GAME 7 SINCE 2025 FINALS CLINCHER

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

After San Antonio took Game 6, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about fatigue.

“Oh I’m good, I’m ready to go. Biggest game of my career… and if I lose, my season’s over.”

Put that way, the situation sounds daunting. But for SGA, the biggest games of his career have been some of his best.
- Mountain Climb: In the first of two Game 7s for the Thunder in last year’s title run, Shai (35 pts, 3 stl) outscored Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray to help put away the Nuggets in the West Semis
- “Every night’s an opportunity to learn and get better, and we’re gonna do so,” Shai said at the time of his young Thunder team gaining the big-game experience they lacked, in real-time
- Crash Course: That OKC squad was the 2nd-youngest team ever to win a championship, with an average age weighted by playing time of 25.36
- Completing that final step took one more Game 7, OKC’s most recent before tonight. SGA (29 pts, 12 ast, 2 blk) rose up again in that deciding game of the Finals against Indy, claiming the series’ MVP honors
Almost a year later, the champs now know exactly what it takes to win in these moments.
- “It’s going to take more than just Shai to beat [the Spurs], to beat any team at this point,” Alex Caruso said… “It’s just about being confident in each other and going out there and playing.”
- Responding Thunder: Over the last two Playoff runs, OKC is a perfect 9-0 following a postseason loss, including Games 2 and 5 of this West Finals
Can the Thunder again avoid consecutive losses tonight in Game 7 to return to the NBA Finals?

5. WEMBY LEADS SPURS INTO HIS FIRST CAREER GAME 7

Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

He’s done it with his play.

He can do it with his words.

And sometimes, Victor Wembanyama can set the tone for the Spurs with just his presence.

“He felt… an obligation to set a tone for us in a variety of ways,” coach Mitch Johnson said of Wemby during these West Finals.

Tonight, the 22-year-old is set to play the biggest game of his young career, in the series’ deciding game. Fortunately for the Spurs, their tone-setter’s never shied away from big moments.
- Alien Unwrapped: All eyes were on Wemby for his Christmas Day debut at MSG in 2024, where he set the Spurs’ record for most points on the Holiday with 42
- Emirates NBA Cup: Wemby (22 pts, 9 reb, 21 min) returned from a calf injury to fuel the Spurs’ knockout of OKC in this season’s Semifinals, before adding 18 points in the Cup championship against the Knicks
- “Wemby set the tone,” said All-Star Game MVP Anthony Edwards of first-time starter Wembanyama, who led Team World with 33 points on the day
“That’s kind of what Vic does,” Dylan Harper said in the West Finals. “He kind of steps into big moments. He’s never afraid of it. He loves that moment.”

Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images
- Embracing the moment in his first-career Playoffs has set Wembanyama apart as the first player ever to total 50+ blocks and 25+ made threes in one postseason run
- No Nerves: He’s also set a Spurs’ franchise record for most total points (350+) in a player’s first Playoffs
- “I think he has shown in his three years – in a lot of different situations, with a lot of different circumstances – that he’s gonna attack those moments,” coach Johnson said
Wemby’s Spurs will look to attack Game 7 tonight.
May 31, 2026