Spurs defense roars to life in Game 4, that’s a real problem for the shorthanded Thunder

This will be the most-played clip when talking about Victor Wembanyama’s Game 4.
However, this highlight from the opening minutes of Game 4 better shows what Wembanyama and the Spurs did differently — keeping him around the rim on defense — and why not only is the Western Conference Finals now tied, but the Spurs may be in the pole position to advance to the NBA Finals.

San Antonio adjusted how it handled Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, which allowed Wembanyama to stay close to the rim, where he is a defensive force unlike anyone else in the NBA. What the Spurs did in Game 4 shifted the burden onto Oklahoma City to adjust heading into Game 5 on Tuesday.

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“I’m not going to get into details, but in general, being more disciplined and just trusting the game plan even more,” Wembanyama said of what the Spurs did differently.

Wemby is selling it short, the Spurs completely altered how they were dealing with Gilgeous-Alexander, and by extension, the entire Thunder offense.

For three games, San Antonio had leaned into a variation of the Lakers’ defense on Oklahoma City from the second round. They trapped Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out high, tried to take away driving gaps (even if it meant helping off shooters one pass away) and generally force the ball out of his hands, daring the other Thunder players to beat them from beyond the arc.

It didn’t work because the Thunder’s role players knocked down shots. Through the first three games, OKC shot 39.5% from beyond the arc. Alex Caruso was 14-of-23 from deep, Cason Wallace was 8-of-17, and big man Jaylin Williams was 7-of-12.
In a must-win Game 4, the Spurs went back to a defensive system they were more comfortable with. They left one defender, usually Stephon Castle, on SGA and when the MVP drove, they helped from nearby players. The result was keeping Victor Wembanyama closer to the rim rather than having long close-outs to shooters, and from the opening moment of the game, that paid off. This new system threw Oklahoma City off its axis, and it turned the ball over 20 times Sunday night (and the Spurs scored 25 points off those turnovers).

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/spurs-defense-roars-life-game-072229641.html

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Publish date : 2026-05-25 07:22:00

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