The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the San Antonio Spurs 123-108 at Frost Bank Center on Friday in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. Just like in their Game 2 win, the Thunder managed to keep Victor Wembanyama in check in this one, and the Frenchman pointed to where he needs to be better in his postgame press conference.
“I feel like I have trouble making my teammates better right now,” Wembanyama said, via Chaz NBA. “… That’s what I should do better. My shooting splits aren’t terrible. I need to be more of a team player.”
Wembanyama finished with 26 points (8-15 FG), four rebounds, three assists, one steal, and two blocks. The two-time All-Star pointed to his rebounding and playmaking when asked to elaborate on his comment.
“Facilitate better, rebound the ball better… push their defense a little bit further and see how much they’re willing to help off of my teammates and feed them,” Wembanyama said.
Wembanyama is drawing a whole lot of attention from the Thunder. They are determined not to let the 22-year-old beat them the way he did in Game 1.
Wembanyama had 41 points (14-25 FG) and 24 rebounds in the 122-115 double overtime win in the opener. He was having his way with that vaunted defense.
In Game 2, though, Wembanyama had 21 points (8-16 FG) and 17 rebounds, as the Thunder won 122-113. That means he has taken 31 shots combined in these last two games, and either that number needs to go up or the assists do.
With all that attention on him, Wembanyama has to set up his teammates with easy looks. Unfortunately, two of his fellow starters haven’t been able to punish the Thunder when presented with opportunities to do so.
Julian Champagnie is at 6-36 (16.7%) from three for this series, while Stephon Castle is at 3-17 (17.6%). Champagnie was 2-8 here, and Castle was 1-5. They have to do better if the Spurs are to win.
The Thunder have also made it more difficult for the supporting cast to find Wembanyama by getting between them. He usually would still find a way to get the ball, and was asked here why it has proven to be a bit more difficult in this series.
“I mean, they’re being physical,” Wembanyama said. “The difference, maybe with this team, is their experience. They may be being more smart about it. But I mean, we just got to find the answers. We’re going to watch film. We’re going to figure it out.”
The Spurs do need to figure things out quickly. They had piled on the pressure on the Thunder by winning Game 1 to seize home-court advantage in this series. The script has now been flipped completely in just a few days.
Game 4 is suddenly a must-win for the Spurs, as no one is overturning a 3-1 deficit against this Thunder juggernaut. The contest will tip off at Frost Bank Center on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
While you’d expect a strong outing from Wembanyama, you wonder how effective De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper will be. Fox and Harper were game-time decisions here due to injuries, and the former reinjured his right leg when he dove for a loose ball in the third quarter. If these two aren’t anywhere near their best, you’d fancy the Thunder’s chances of recording a third straight win.
