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San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson, forwards Keldon Johnson (3) and Victor Wembanyama (1) look on during the second half of Game 3 in the Western Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series against the Oklahoma City Thunder Friday, May 22, 2026, in San Antonio.<\/p>\n
Darren Abate\/AP Photo\/Darren Abate<\/p>\n
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, middle, handles the ball as San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle, left, and forward Victor Wembanyama (1) defend during the second half of Game 3 in the Western Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series Friday, May 22, 2026, in San Antonio.<\/p>\n
Darren Abate\/AP Photo\/Darren Abate<\/p>\n
SAN ANTONIO (AP) \u2014 It’s tempting, but the San Antonio Spurs will not play Victor Wembanyama every minute of regulation against Oklahoma City even as they trail the Thunder 2-1 in the Western Conference finals.<\/p>\n
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Instead, San Antonio has to find a way to play better when Wembanyama rests because Oklahoma City is dominating when the 7-foot-4 star from France is on the bench.<\/p>\n
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The Thunder are two wins away from returning to the NBA Finals with Game 4 on Sunday in San Antonio.<\/p>\n
Oklahoma City has won two straight by an average of 12 points since Wembanyama had 41 points, 24 rebounds and three rebounds in 49 minutes during San Antonio’s 122-115 double-overtime victory in Game 1 on Monday.<\/p>\n
As the Spurs seek solutions, playing Wembanyama more minutes is intriguing but not viable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea is there,\u201d San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson said, smiling, \u201cbut, yeah, I think as we\u2019ve seen it, him fresh or somewhat fresh is still the best. … We don\u2019t want to sacrifice our style of play and the identity that we\u2019ve been building since October.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The Spurs were a plus-4 in Wembanyama’s 39 minutes in Game 3’s 123-108 loss to the Thunder on Friday. That number may seem inconsequential, but San Antonio was minus-15 as a team and its main reserves were in the negative by double digits.<\/p>\n
MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a team-high 26 points, but the rest of the starters combined for 21 points.<\/p>\n
Their scoring wasn’t needed Friday.<\/p>\n
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Oklahoma City’s bench outscored San Antonio’s 76-23 and were a combined 14 for 29 on 3-pointers. The 76 bench points are the most in the conference finals since the NBA went to the 16-team playoff format in 1984.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve dealt with a lot of injuries throughout the year, but it\u2019s built us,\u201d Thunder center Jaylin Williams said. \u201cIt\u2019s built us as a team. It\u2019s built us as players to be ready for the moment, to be ready when your name is called.\u201d<\/p>\n
Williams had a playoff career-high 18 points, and fellow reserve Jared McCain finished with 24 points.<\/p>\n
The Spurs opened Game 3 on a 15-0 run, the longest run to open a game in the conference finals since the play-by-play era began in 1997. San Antonio led 19-4 when Wembanyama subbed out with seven minutes remaining in the quarter but the Thunder cut the deficit to 24-19 when he returned with 3:44 remaining in the first.<\/p>\n
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The Thunder’s depth also allows them to throw multiple bodies and looks to wear on Wembanyama and the Spurs.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know I\u2019m not going to play as many minutes as (Wembanyama) is, so the minutes I\u2019m out there I\u2019m trying to make his job as tough as I can make it,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n
Making matters worse for the Spurs is two of their primary playmakers and scorers are battling injuries.<\/p>\n
Point guards De’Aaron Fox (sprained right ankle) and Dylan Harper (right adductor soreness) played in Game 3 but were not at 100%. Fox also appeared to injure his left ankle in the third quarter but returned shortly after exiting for the locker room.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThey came out of the game, finished on their own accord,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI took them out, so that\u2019s a plus and as of now we expect them to be ready to go. So, those guys are giving us all they got, and I commend them and tip my cap because they\u2019re competing … and they\u2019re not 100%.”<\/p>\n
There was no update on their playing status as of Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n
The diminished health of Fox and Harper along with Oklahoma City’s physicality has slowed San Antonio’s usual breakneck pace offensively.<\/p>\n
The Spurs played reserve center Luke Kornet alongside Wembanyama at times Friday in an attempt to improve its rebounding and spark a faster pace, but the Thunder limited that as well.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThat\u2019s been good for us all year,\u201d Castle said of the Spurs’ pace. \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s just against them that it\u2019s crucial that we have those possessions, but, I mean, I think that comes from getting stops first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Castle did not want to give away any strategy, but he did say the Spurs discovered some \u201cschematic stuff\u201d that should fix their lapses on both ends for Game 4.<\/p>\n
Regardless, San Antonio has to find a way to keep playing with Wembanyama on the bench.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like each and every one of us has got to be better,\u201d Wembanyama said. \u201cYeah, I think it\u2019s just that as a team, as an organization, there\u2019s a lot of new experiences. We\u2019re just going to have to find the answers.\u201d<\/p>\n
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