{"id":676609,"date":"2026-05-31T20:34:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T20:34:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/676609\/"},"modified":"2026-05-31T20:34:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T20:34:09","slug":"kornets-4th-quarter-block-is-one-that-the-spurs-will-savor-for-a-long-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/676609\/","title":{"rendered":"Kornet\u2019s 4th-quarter block is one that the Spurs will savor for a long time"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Luke Kornet\u2019s huge block on Isaiah Hartenstein will live on in Spurs\u2019 lore.<\/p>\n

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) \u2014 Luke Kornet\u2019s final line from Game 7 of the Western Conference finals: six minutes, 0-for-3 shooting, two points, four rebounds.<\/p>\n

Oh, and a block.\u00a0<\/p>\n

ARE YOU KIDDING ME LUKE KORNET???<\/p>\n

WILD CHASEDOWN BLOCK IN TRANSITION \ud83e\udd2f<\/p>\n

THE TYPE OF PLAYS YOU NEED TO WIN A GAME 7. pic.twitter.com\/FP5Z4T0LHw<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NBA (@NBA) May 31, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

A block that will forever live in San Antonio Spurs lore.<\/p>\n

The Spurs led the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-91 with about 6 1\/2 minutes left in the fourth quarter on Saturday night, and had just turned the ball over near midcourt. Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein drove down the right side and was about to try a dunk when Kornet, chasing the play, met him at the basket.<\/p>\n

Kornet got the block and the building didn\u2019t get the explosion of sound that the dunk would have brought. The Thunder never got any closer, and the Spurs went on to win 111-103 to earn a spot in the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n

\u201cBiggest play of the game,\u201d Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said.<\/p>\n

If Hartenstein gets the dunk, does the game change? Nobody will ever know, thanks to Kornet and the play he made.<\/p>\n

\u201cLuke, he\u2019s been there, he\u2019s seen it, and he makes winning plays every game,\u201d Spurs guard Stephon Castle said. \u201cI mean, none of them are to the magnitude of that one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kornet checked out of the game not long afterward; when he got to the bench about a dozen Spurs reserves and staffers were waiting with bear hugs, celebratory punches and shoves and who knows what else. He breathed a ton of life into the Spurs contingent, and they rode that wave all the way to the final horn.<\/p>\n

Someone from the bench, Kornet said, compared his block to LeBron James\u2019 chasedown block of Andre Iguodala in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s see which one has more staying power in the record books or history or whatever,\u201d Kornet said.<\/p>\n

OK, so maybe it wasn\u2019t quite that big.<\/p>\n

It was still sensational \u2014 and one that had the Spurs marveling long into the night.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was big,\u201d Spurs center Victor Wembanyama said. \u201cSo many big-time plays, so many guys stepping up, oh my God. It\u2019s an unreal chance. My life is amazing and being with these guys, living these things with these guys that I love so, so, so much, it\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n