Wembanyama powers San Antonio into NBA Finals for first time since 2014
Victor Wembanyama scored 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals on May 30, 2026, at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. The victory ends a 12-year absence from the NBA Finals for the Spurs, who last appeared in the championship round in 2014, when they defeated the Miami Heat.
San Antonio will face the New York Knicks in the 2026 NBA Finals, a matchup that revives the only prior Finals meeting between the two franchises. The Spurs defeated the Knicks in five games in 1999. New York reached the Finals for the first time in 27 years after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals - a run that included going 11-0 in playoff games after falling behind the Atlanta Hawks 2-1 in the first round.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the two-time reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, led Oklahoma City with 35 points in defeat. The Thunder, who won the NBA title last season, could not extend their championship run. No defending champion has reached consecutive NBA Finals since the Golden State Warriors won in 2018 and returned in 2019. Game 7 was the 160th winner-take-all game in NBA history and the fifth of this postseason.
Regardless of which team wins the 2026 NBA Finals, it will mark the eighth consecutive season in which a different franchise has claimed the title - the longest such stretch in league history. Toronto won in 2019, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers (2020), Milwaukee Bucks (2021), Golden State Warriors (2022), Denver Nuggets (2023), Boston Celtics (2024), and Oklahoma City (2025). Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals is scheduled to tip off Wednesday in San Antonio.
