How Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs bottled up Shai Gilegous-Alexander -- and how they can do it again
The San Antonio Spurs have effectively limited Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's scoring opportunities in their playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. In Game 1, Gilgeous-Alexander struggled, making only seven of his 23 shots as the Spurs' defense forced him into less favorable jump shots. With Game 2 approaching, the Thunder must find a way to counter the Spurs' defensive strategy to avoid falling further behind in the series.
- ▪Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made just seven of his 23 shots in Game 1 against the Spurs.
- ▪The Spurs' defense has successfully disrupted SGA's driving game, forcing him into jump shots.
- ▪In regular-season matchups, the Spurs limited SGA's scoring efficiency significantly.
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How Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs bottled up Shai Gilegous-Alexander -- and how they can do it again SGA is facing a monumental task against a San Antonio defense selling out to stop him By Brad Botkin May 20, 2026 at 3:29 pm ET • 6 min read Getty Images Down 1-0 to the San Antonio Spurs after a double-overtime thriller in the series opener, you could argue that Wednesday night's Game 2 is a must win for the Thunder. Mathematically that's not true, of course. But let's be realistic. If the Thunder lose Game 2, that will make six losses in seven games against the Spurs this season. They very clearly have their number. And we're supposed to believe they're going to complete that and win four of their next five to close out the series in seven?Not likely.
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