It's All About Victor Wembanyama | Defector

A playoff series becomes clearer once matchups and tactical adjustments are established, and outcomes often hinge on specific matchup advantages. In Game 4, the Spurs defeated the Thunder 103-82, with Victor Wembanyama delivering 33 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks while holding the defending champions to their season-low scoring total. Early scoring from Isaiah Hartenstein provided a brief lead, but his floater attempts signaled the Thunder were running out of options. After that start, Wembanyama dictated what the Thunder could do offensively. The Spurs used fewer double-teams on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, relying on Wembanyama’s size and defensive presence to contain drives while defenders stayed closer to shooters.

"The Spurs won Game 4 on Sunday night, 103-82. If you are wondering how the defending champions were held to their lowest scoring mark of the entire season, look no further than Victor Wembanyama. His 33 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks speak for themselves, but as is always the case with Wembanyama, he has to be seen to be believed."

"In hindsight, it was a bad sign for the Thunder that their first eight points of the game came via Isaiah Hartenstein's fuck-ass floater. It's a shot that he can hit with annoying consistency, and in the moment his 4-of-4 start to the game presented itself as found money for the Thunder. But the accuracy of Hartenstein's floater has always been less important than the frequency at which he is forced to huck it up there, because its arrival in a playoff game usually indicates that the Thunder are low on options."

"The rest of the game was dictated by Wembanyama, who had complete control over what the Thunder could and could not do on offense. The Spurs, having been burned by a whole bunch of scoring from the Thunder's role players in Game 3, elected to send fewer double-teams at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, trusting their gargantuan center to contain his drives while everyone else stuck closer to the Thunder's shooters."

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