After stealing home court advantage with a thrilling victory in Game One, the San Antonio Spurs had it taken away from them in a Game Three loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Now the stakes are even higher in Game Four, as the Spurs try to avoid going down 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals.
So far, the Thunder have made the most impactful adjustments in the series. They’ve put a big man on Victor Wembanyama to keep him from dominating the paint, played with a lot of physicality on both ends, and
relied on their bench scorers to hit open shots when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander faced double teams. Now, after losing two games in a row, the Spurs will need to counter OKC’s counters to even up the series.
They’ll try to do it at seemingly full health. De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper avoided the injury report for Game Four, but remain hobbled as they both deal with lower-body injuries. Meanwhile, the Thunder will be without Ajay Mitchell and potentially Jalen Williams, removing two important ball-handlers who support SGA.
Only 15 teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Playoffs (including two this year). Tying the series at 2-2 significantly increases the Spurs’ odds of making the NBA Finals. They’ll need all hands on deck to do that in front of their home crowd.
San Antonio Spurs (1-2) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (2-1)
May 24th, 2026 | 7 PM CT
Watch: NBC / Peacock | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)
Spurs Injuries: No injuries to report.
Thunder Injuries: Thomas Sorber – Out (knee), Ajay Mitchell – Out (calf), Jalen Williams – Questionable (hamstring)
What to watch for:
Bench scoring
The Thunder’s bench outscored the Spurs’ bench by 53 points in Game Three. San Antonio’s bench unit has been largely ineffective in the series so far. Keldon Johnson has struggled to score for the majority of the playoffs. Harper is dealing with an injury. Luke Kornet is constantly attacked at the rim. No one else has stepped up to provide a spark when the starters sit. For most of the season, the Spurs were seen as a deep team. Their depth is getting exposed against OKC. The Spurs’ bench doesn’t have to outscore the Thunder’s backups to win the series, but they can’t be completely played off the floor. Just a slight improvement in their play would go a long way toward tying the series.
Guarding SGA
So far, the Spurs’ strategy for guarding the Thunder’s star guard has been to get the ball out of his hands and make someone else beat them. That strategy backfired in Game Three, as Gilgeous-Alexander made the Spurs pay by swinging the ball to shooters for open threes. The Thunder shot 17-38 (45%) from three in Game Three, and most of those were lightly contested. Perhaps the adjustment for Game Four is making SGA beat the Spurs with one-on-one scoring. San Antonio can use multiple defenders to guard him one-on-one to avoid foul trouble, but they don’t need to send multiple bodies at him every time he crosses half-court. It’s a simple adjustment, but it could help them avoid the three-point barrage they saw in Game Three.
Playing fast
San Antonio has been at its best this postseason when they are getting out in transition or pushing the ball ahead after a miss. Their offense has slowed down majorly against the Thunder. They aren’t turning OKC. over, and are getting bogged down in a half-court game that better suits the Thunder. Even if they aren’t able to get steals to get easy buckets in transition, the Spurs have to speed up the game to give themselves a better chance. That means pushing the ball quickly after misses and makes, looking to attack the rim before the Thunder get set.
