When the Thunder’s defense was allowed to contest Victor Wembanyama’s shots, they succeeded in throwing him off his game.
Wembanyama was 12 of 12 at the free-throw line, but made just four of his 15 field-goal attempts in 38 minutes and did not score more than one field goal in any quarter.
Without Wembanyama as effective offensively, the Spurs struggled to rally in the second half and allowed their deficit to balloon to 20 points late in the game.
The four field goals was half of his previous low in the Western Conference finals, and his 0-of-5 showing from 3 was his first game of the series without a 3-point make.
The Spurs will need him to return to MVP form when the series returns to San Antonio for Game 6.