Oklahoma City Thunder vs San Antonio Spurs Game 7: Why Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander clash is unmissable | NBA News

The most anticipated matchup of the 2026 NBA playoffs is going the distance after the San Antonio Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night to level the Western Conference Finals at 3-3.

That means it’s time to utter what Americans often describe as the two greatest words in sport – Game 7.

It will be winner takes all on Saturday night (1am on Sunday UK time) as the Thunder host the Spurs, live on Sky Sports, to decide who will face Eastern Conference champions, the New York Knicks, in the finals.

The series has swung back and forth, with the Spurs taking a 1-0 lead before then twice falling behind and levelling, making it very difficult to predict what will happen in the finale.

Any NBA playoff series decider delivers heightened tension and intensity, but certain matchups capture the imagination, and this is one of them, but why is that?

Wembanyama taking over the NBA

The hype around this series is primarily down to one player, Victor Wembanyama, the 22-year-old Spurs centre who is fast becoming the face of the NBA.

In just his third season in the NBA after being drafted with the top pick in 2023, Wembanyama is in the process of establishing himself as the league’s best player.

A combination of his height – 7ft 4in – athleticism and skill at both ends of the court have earned Wembanyama the nickname ‘The Alien’. He’s able to throw down spectacular slam dunks – often converting alley-oops from team-mates’ passes – drain three-pointers from Steph Curry range, and guard his own team’s basket like an adult playing with children.

All you need to do is watch a few highlights of the Frenchman in action, and it will quickly become apparent why he alone makes any Spurs game worth tuning into.

Wembanyama was unanimously voted the defensive player of the year and came third in the contest for most valuable player – both regular season awards, but there is a little doubt his star has risen significantly further during his post-season debut.

With the Spurs having steadily built around Wembanyama since drafting him, this is the first season their management have committed to pushing to be a contender.

It’s very rare that a young NBA team with limited playoff experience is able to get even this close to a title. The Thunder provide a perfect example, having been knocked out in the conference semi-finals two years ago by the Dallas Mavericks after topping the standings during the regular season.

This is potentially history in the making, and it shouldn’t be missed.

SGA defending his crown

What makes Wembanyama’s ascent even more entertaining is that it’s coming against the reigning champions, who are led by the player he is trying to dethrone as the league’s best, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The 27-year-old Canadian just won a second successive regular season MVP award and was the finals MVP last year as the Thunder were crowned NBA champions for the first time.

Gilgeous-Alexander is a remarkable player but also something of an anti-superstar, a quiet character who hasn’t chased the limelight that would often come with being an NBA MVP.

What’s never been in doubt is his ability, which is being pushed to the limit by the injuries impacting his backcourt colleagues.

The Thunder’s de facto No 2 option, Jalen Williams, has been in and out of action throughout the playoffs because of a hamstring injury and was ineffective as he returned for Game 6.

Then Ajay Mitchell, the Belgian guard who impressed earlier in the playoffs in Williams’ absence, has also been missing as a result of a calf injury.

This heightens both the scoring and playmaking load on Gilgeous-Alexander, and allows the Spurs to apply greater defensive pressure to him.

That has been telling so far, with Gilgeous-Alexander’s made field goal percentage of 37.9 per cent in the series so far way down on the 55.1 and 47.1 per cent marks he set in the previous two rounds. Only once in the eight previous playoff series he has played in for the Thunder has he shot below 44 per cent.

So while it has been far from a vintage series for Gilgeous-Alexander so far, it would be extremely dangerous to underestimate the heart of a champion, who will no doubt want to offer a reminder of exactly why he is the two-time reigning MVP.

The two best teams in the league

While the NBA is built upon stars, both Wembanyama and Gilgeous-Alexander have incredible supporting casts.

The Spurs’ rebuild in recent years has seen them acquire several players who some other teams, without Wembanyama, might consider as a player to build their franchise around.

Dylan Harper, the 20-year-old No 2 pick in the draft ahead of this season, has already exceeded expectations, lifting his game in the playoffs and turning in match-winning displays in the first two rounds.

Fellow guard Stephon Castle, the 21-year-old the No 4 pick in the draft a year earlier, is also a thrilling player to watch in his own right. The young pair are complemented by the experience of De’Aaron Fox, who brings playoff experience and nous from his time with the Sacramento Kings.

The fact that the Thunder have made it to 3-3 in this series while being largely without Williams and Mitchell is testament to the extraordinary depth of their roster, but the players who will need to help Gilgeous-Alexander in Game 7 are Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso.

Unfortunately for him, Holmgren has often been measured against Wembanyama during this series, but he will know there is room for improvement with his highest points total of the series so far being just 16.

Caruso, a champion with Los Angeles Lakers before helping the Thunder to glory last year, is the team’s defensive leader, a pest to the opposition who has the ability to single-handedly turn games with his remarkable energy.

While the New York Knicks are in form and cruised into the finals with a 4-0 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, it’s the winner of the West that is going to start as favourites next week.

Extra spice after ‘hard fouls’ controversy

By the time any playoff series gets to a Game 7, players are likely to have grown tired of and worked up some animosity towards their opponents, but there’s undoubtedly some extra spice in this one.

The Spurs felt as though the Thunder were able to get away with being overly aggressive, particularly with Wembanyama, during the early stages of the series.

But there was something of a plot twist in the latter stages of Game 5, when the Spurs made some questionable plays of their own.

Wembanyama was on his way out of the game with his coach Mitch Johnson having accepted defeat, and on the way off, appeared to tell the Spurs backups coming into the game to commit some “hard fouls”.

The possible order was quickly followed as Mason Plumlee ran into the back of Thunder guard Jared McCain, before Bismack Biyombo also got a hard hit in on the same player.

The referees did well to keep a lid on the action in Game 6, but there is little doubt that both teams will want to set the tone on Saturday night by gaining the upper hand in the physical battle.

Watch the conclusion of the West Conference Finals in the early hours of Sunday morning from midnight, live on Sky Sports+. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime