The San Antonio Spurs bounced back in style with an impressive 103-82 home win over the Oklahoma City Thunder to level their best-of-seven NBA Western Conference finals series at 2-2.
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, who had been critical of his performance in their game three defeat, led from the front with 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals.
“We just responded,” said the 22-year-old Frenchman. “It was nothing amazing. It wasn’t magic. We just did what we needed to do.”
“The series is far from over.”
The Spurs built up an early 15-point lead before the Thunder cut the deficit to five with just over a minute remaining in the second quarter.
But the Spurs hit back with seven points before the break, topped by a mid-court three-pointer from Wembanyama.
It was also a solid defensive display from the Spurs with the Thunder’s 38 first-half points their lowest of the season.
The reigning NBA champions’ game total was also the fewest for the franchise since 2 December 2021, and the lowest in a play-off game since 2020.
With the result virtually decided, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who top-scored on 19 points, sat out the entire fourth quarter.
No other Thunder player scored more than 12.
Game five takes place on Tuesday (01:30 BST Wednesday) in Oklahoma City with game six back in San Antonio on Thursday (01:30 BST Friday).
In the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks lead the Cleveland Cavaliers 3-0 and can wrap up that series in Cleveland on Monday (01:00 BST, Tuesday), with the NBA Finals starting on 4 June.
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