NBA playoff takeaways: Victor Wembanyama making his case as the real MVP

This playoff run has been a series of firsts for the San Antonio Spurs.

Thursday, May 28 presented yet another: this is the first time this young Spurs core is facing elimination in the postseason.

The Spurs are hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals in a must-win situation, as San Antonio is looking to knot the series up a three games apiece to force a Game 7.

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All eyes are on the two stars in the series, Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the two-time consecutive Most Valuable Player, of the Thunder.

Here are live takeaways from Game 6 of the Western Conference finals between the Spurs and Thunder:

This Victor Wembanyama makes the Spurs close to unbeatable

It became clear in the first few minutes of Game 6 that Wembanyama was correcting his mistakes from Game 5.

After playing too passively two nights ago, Wembanyama set the tone early, going 4-of-6 from the floor in the first quarter and 9-of-16 in the first half to take 22 points into intermission.

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The rest of the Spurs are feeding off Wembanyama, whose effort on defense and rebounding have also lifted San Antonio. Through the first half, Wembanyama has also hauled in 5 rebounds — which is just one fewer than his total from Game 5.

That said, Wembanyama did launch 8 attempts from 3-point range. And while he made three of his first four, he cannot be settling too much for perimeter shots; the Spurs are at their best when Wembanyama is attacking the rim.

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NBA draft No. 1 picks since 1990: From Derrick Coleman to Cooper Flagg

2025: Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks

(Brad Penner, Imagn Images)

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NBA draft No. 1 picks since 1990: From Derrick Coleman to Cooper Flagg

2025: Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks

(Brad Penner, Imagn Images)

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NBA draft No. 1 picks since 1990: From Derrick Coleman to Cooper Flagg

2024: Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks

(Brad Penner, USA TODAY Sports)

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NBA draft No. 1 picks since 1990: From Derrick Coleman to Cooper Flagg

2023: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

(Wendell Cruz, USA TODAY Sports)

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NBA draft No. 1 picks since 1990: From Derrick…

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Publish date : 2026-05-29 02:00:00

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