The Western Conference championship series between Oklahoma City and San Antonio has developed into two separate battles as the teams prepare for Game 3 on Friday night.
While Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has bounced back from his typical slow start and San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama continues putting up historic numbers in the conference finals, both squads are facing mounting injury concerns among their supporting players.
The series stands even at one game each as action moves to San Antonio. San Antonio captured the opener behind Wembanyama’s dominant 41-point, 24-rebound performance, while the defending champion Thunder evened things up in Game 2 with 30 points from Gilgeous-Alexander.
“We’re probably most comfortable playing in front of our fans,” Spurs guard Stephon Castle said following their Game 2 defeat in Oklahoma City. “I don’t think we’ll have any problem doing that. Mentally, I think we’re all in a good head space. We came here, won a game on the road and they’re a good team and they responded. So, now we have a chance to play in front of our fans.”
However, the mental aspect isn’t what should concern either franchise. The physical toll is becoming increasingly problematic.
Multiple players are dealing with various ailments including ankle problems, hamstring issues, and thigh injuries – and those are just the known concerns, not accounting for the wear and tear accumulated over seven to eight months of competition.
As anticipated, the Western Conference finals have evolved into an intense showdown. Beyond the obvious Thunder versus Spurs matchup between the league’s top two teams fighting for an NBA Finals berth, there’s also the challenge of overcoming physical attrition – and currently, the injuries might be gaining the upper hand.
“It feels like that’s always at this time of the season in every sport, right? You have to get to the end to give yourself a chance,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson explained. “And I think that’s why we have to continue to trust our depth and guys have to step up when their name’s called — answer the bell and be able to give us some quality minutes.”
San Antonio All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox continues battling an ankle problem that won’t resolve until the season concludes. His backup, Dylan Harper, appeared to injure his hamstring during Game 2 and left the contest early. For Oklahoma City, guard Jalen Williams re-aggravated his troublesome left hamstring in Game 2, while his replacement, Ajay Mitchell, suffered a thigh injury in the closing moments.
San Antonio’s Game 1 victory came largely due to Harper’s contributions. Oklahoma City’s Game 2 triumph was significantly aided by Isaiah Hartenstein’s impact on both ends of the court. Despite the exceptional play from Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama, role players will likely determine individual games and potentially the entire series.
“I think it’s a privilege,” said Hartenstein, who contributed 10 points and 13 rebounds in Game 2. “You dream of playing in games like this and playing a game against another great team is always something really special. Again, I heard somewhere that pressure is a privilege and so I think just being in this series where the pressure is so high, just trying to go out there and enjoy competing is always something really important.”
Gilgeous-Alexander endured a difficult Game 1, connecting on just 7 of 23 attempts – marking the sixth occasion in his past seven series openers where he failed to shoot 50 percent. However, his timing returned in Game 2, which he anticipated would happen.
“I just have sucked when I get too long of a break,” Gilgeous-Alexander admitted. “I don’t think it’s anything other than that.”
Through two contests, Wembanyama has accumulated 62 points and 41 rebounds. While other players have scored more points in conference finals openers, no one since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1974 has recorded at least 60 points and 40 rebounds through the first two games of this playoff round.
“I can think of a few down moments for myself, especially in the fourth quarter,” Wembanyama reflected after Game 2.
The series couldn’t be more competitive beyond the obvious 1-1 game split.
Each winning team has scored exactly 122 points. Combined scoring shows Thunder 237, Spurs 235. Both clubs recorded 8-0 runs in Game 1 and 11-0 runs in Game 2. Oklahoma City has connected on 30 three-pointers compared to San Antonio’s 29. The Spurs are shooting 46 percent while the Thunder are at 44 percent.
The key differences lie elsewhere: San Antonio holds a 25-rebound advantage but has committed 19 more turnovers. Castle delivered a spectacular dunk over Hartenstein in Game 2 but has struggled with 20 turnovers across both games. Should the Spurs’ backcourt depth remain compromised, Castle will face increased pressure this weekend.
“You’ve got be aggressive against us,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault noted. “But if you’re overaggressive, we’ll make you pay.”
