Victor Wembanyama says Spurs already know the problem but still cannot fix it

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 122-113 in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday. The series is now tied 1-1 heading to San Antonio for Game 3 on Friday.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points for the defending champions after a quiet series opener. The Thunder bench outscored the Spurs reserves by a count of 57-25.

Oklahoma City held a 27-10 advantage in points off turnovers. That turnover margin proved to be the deciding factor.

Victor Wembanyama did not hide his frustration after the Spurs came up short down the stretch. He finished with 21 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 blocks.

“We’ve got to help our ballhandlers more and take care of the ball,” Wembanyama said after the game. “We didn’t do a great job at it today, but we need some poise, for sure. Taking care of the ball, helping the main ball handlers, and being aggressive, just like we were in the third quarter.”

The Spurs were already playing without De’Aaron Fox due to ankle soreness. Then, rookie Dylan Harper left with a right leg injury in the third quarter after two awkward falls.

Losing two primary ballhandlers against Oklahoma City’s aggressive defense proved difficult to overcome. The Spurs struggled to initiate their offense without their top two guards.

San Antonio trailed by 11 at halftime and by 8 entering the fourth quarter. A Harrison Barnes corner 3-pointer cut the deficit to 99-97 with 9 minutes remaining.

That was as close as the Spurs would get. Oklahoma City responded with a crushing 11-0 run to seize control.

A banked-in 3-pointer by Jared McCain during that run pushed the Thunder lead to 13 points. Wembanyama scored inside to make it 118-113 with under 2 minutes left.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored on the next possession to seal the victory for Oklahoma City. Stephon Castle added 25 points and Devin Vassell scored 22 for the Spurs.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said being down two guards puts “a ton” of pressure on the roster.

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