San Antonio Spurs win the West, beating Oklahoma City Thunder to head to NBA Finals

Sports San Antonio Spurs win the West, beating Oklahoma City Thunder to head to NBA Finals May 31, 20264:24 AM ET By  The Associated Press The San Antonio Spurs celebrate after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs series Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Oklahoma City. Nate Billings/AP Photo hide caption toggle caption Nate Billings/AP Photo Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs started the Western Conference finals with a win in Oklahoma City, then ended the series the same way. The champions are dethroned. Wembanyama and the Spurs are headed to the NBA Finals. Wembanyama scored 22 points, Julian Champagnie got 18 of his 20 off of 3-pointers and the Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 on Saturday night — bucking heavy odds to win a Game 7 on the road. "This feeling, I can't explain it," Wembanyama said. "It's so powerful." Stephon Castle scored 16 points and De'Aaron Fox had 15. Dylan Harper added 12 and Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell each finished with 11 for the Spurs, who are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014. Sponsor Message They will host the New York Knicks in Game 1 on Wednesday night. "Back in October, we knew we had a chance to be pretty good," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. Correction — the Spurs have a chance to be great. Championship-level great. A huge moment came midway through the fourth, when San Antonio's Luke Kornet blocked Oklahoma City's Isaiah Hartenstein at the rim — denying a fast-break score that would have gotten the Thunder within four. It felt like the last gasp for the Thunder. Kornet played six minutes, missed all three of his shot attempts and finished with only two points, but the block was an epic moment. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 35 points and nine assists, but for the eighth consecutive season the NBA will have a new champion. Cason Wallace scored 17 points, while Jared McCain and Alex Caruso had 12 apiece for the...