French phenom Victor Wembanyama on Sunday made NBA playoffs history on several counts as he led the San Antonio Spurs to a 103-82 victory in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The NBA announced that Wemby joined Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to average at least 30 points and 13 rebounds through the first four games of a Conference Finals series.
Wemby in the WCF (Games 1-4):
👽 30.3 PPG
👽 13.3 RPGHe joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players in NBA history to average 30+ PPG, and 10+ RPG through their first four NBA Conference Finals games 🤯
The league office also announced that Wemby is the only player ever to record at least 53 blocks and 23 made threes in a single postseason run. In his first-ever playoff run, the Spurs star has tallied a total of 324 points, 160 rebounds, 41 assists, 53 blocks and 23 made threes from 444 minutes of action. The Spurs are 9-5 in those games.
WEMBY DOING IT ON BOTH ENDS 👽
Through 14 postseason games, Wemby has 53 BLK and 23 3PM, becoming the first player since 1974 (when BLK were first tracked) to record 50+ BLK and 20+ 3PM in a single postseason 🤯
Spurs win Game 4 to even the series at 2-2 in the West Finals!
Wemby, Spurs Tie Up Series
Victor Wembanyama finished with 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, three blocks and three made threes — including a half-court buzzer beater to end the first half — as the Spurs routed the Thunder to level up the Western Conference Finals.
It was a statement win for the Spurs, who were determined to turn the tide after dropping back-to-back games earlier in the series. Unlike in Game 3 when they blew a 15-0 early lead, the Spurs held onto their leads for most of Game 4 and didn’t have any slip-ups in their intensity level — especially on the defensive end. According to ESPN Research, the Spurs became the first time since April 2022 to hold the Thunder to less tahn 90 points in any game — regular season or playoffs.
Spurs vs Thunder Game 5
The series will now shift back to Oklahoma City for Game 5. History suggests that the winner of Game 5 of a tied 2-2 series prevails 84.1% of the time. As such, the winner of the West Finals could very well be determined on Tuesday.
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson, however, does not view Game 5 as a do-or-die, as he believes his team is capable of winning Games 6 and 7 to advance to the NBA Finals.
“Our competitive response all year has been pretty good, and he’s been at the forefront of that more than not,” Johnson said after the Game 4 win.
“And I think tonight he felt – not speaking for him – but from my perspective an obligation to set a tone for us in a variety of ways and I think the aggressiveness was a reflection of that.”
The winner of the Spurs vs Thunder series will most likely set up an NBA Finals clash against the New York Knicks, who can close out the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.
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