Player grades: Thunder no-show in 118-91 Game 6 loss to Spurs

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SAN ANTONIO — Getting his revenge on the immediate possession, Victor Wembanyama swatted away Chet Holmgren's desperate turnaround jumper attempt in the final seconds of the third quarter. As the buzzer sounded, it was a pretty fitting end to a frame that decided we'll see these NBA heavyweights match up one more time.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were on the wrong side of a wire-to-wire contest in a 118-91 Game 6 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The 2026 Western Conference Finals is now tied up at 3-3 apiece. With a decisive Game 7 on its way.

Falling behind once again, the Thunder continued the tradition of suffocating slow starts. That's been a theme all series long. It's been hit or miss for OKC to climb out of its self-created hole. In this game, they weren't anywhere near salvageable levels against the Spurs.

Setting the tone, Wembanyama pulled up from deep for two outside jumpers. That was enough for the Thunder to call a quick timeout — not even two minutes into the game. From there, things only got worse. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's transition problems continued. Dylan Harper looked like his Game 1 version with an outside jumper.

The Thunder were in a 35-22 deficit after the first quarter. Not even Jalen Williams' surprise return could provide an energy boost. From there, the Spurs kept their distance at around a double-digit game. OKC kept it intriguing, but wasn't able to actually pull ahead.

After the Thunder scored 31 points in the second quarter, they entered halftime in a 60-53 deficit. And honestly, all things considered? Not half-bad. You'll easily take that. Being down by just seven points was a blessing. And gave OKC enough wiggle room to at least close this thing out with a strong second half.

Yeah. About that. Those dreams were quickly shattered. Playing in front of their amped-up crowd, the Spurs slammed the door shut. They went on a game-sealing 20-0 run in the third quarter. That included the Thunder going over seven minutes stuck in a scoring drought. This game went from a respectable 72-64 score to a laughable 92-64. Gilgeous-Alexander's NBA superstar shot-making vanished. And the biggest telltale sign? Luke Kornet had positive minutes.

The Thunder only had 13 points in the third quarter. Even for as bad as the offense can get, that goes below their basement. For the second straight game at San Antonio, OKC was completely run out of the gym — both in Wembanyama or non-Wembanyama minutes.

The fourth quarter turned inconsequential. Both sides cleared their benches. The Thunder had 25 points in the final frame. That at least doll'd up the final deficit as they trailed by as many as 28 points. The San Antonio crowd had a few 'Spurs in 7!' chants sung up. But yeah, it was pretty obvious from the jump that OKC's historic Game 6 troubles would add a new chapter.

The Thunder shot 37% from the field and went 10-of-40 (25%) from 3. They shot 11-of-12 on free throws. They had 22 assists on 35 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander's struggles continued with 15 points and four assists. Holmgren had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 10 points and five rebounds. Jared McCain came back down to Earth with 13 points and six assists. Cason Wallace dropped 11 points and three rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Spurs shot 47% from the field and went 15-of-41 (36.6%) from 3. They shot 21-of-25 on free throws. They had 30 assists on 441 baskets. Five Spurs players scored double-digit points.

Wembanyama led the way with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Stephon Castle had 17 points and nine assists. Harper had 18 points and six rebounds. Devin Vassell had 12 points and two assists. Julian Champagnie helped with 10 points and six rebounds.

Well, felt like this epic clash of 60-win juggernauts was always destined to go the full seven. Now, we're here. The Thunder essentially no-showed this one as the Spurs fought for their basketball lives for the first time this year. In a series filled with ups and downs, Gilgeous-Alexander had his worst showing yet. It was Wembanyama's turn to put his team on his back in a now-or-never scenario.

A trip to the 2026 NBA Finals will be on the line in Game 7. The drama writes itself. If the Thunder hope to go back-to-back, they'll need to pass their more difficult test of the year in a couple of days. The Spurs have proven to be perhaps the highest-quality opponent Gilgeous-Alexander and OKC have faced in a playoff series since their ascension. Let's see how they look in the most stressful scenario possible.

Let's look at Thunder player grades:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: F-minus

Sitting out the fourth quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander has done that regular hobby twice this series — all for the absolute wrong reasons. Once again, the two-time MVP looked anything but his Hall-of-Fame-worthy resume. With a chance to deliver a loud knockout punch, he was mostly blanketed in a game where the scoreboard kept ballooning at Looney Tunes levels.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 15 points on 6-of-18 shooting, four assists and one rebound. He shot 0-of-5 from 3 and went 3-of-3 on free throws.

The Jekyll and Hyde series experienced a new low. Not only did Gilgeous-Alexander look galaxies away from his usual self, but he also became a detriment to OKC's ambitions of finishing this up in six. Just another flat-out bad game for the reigning MVP. Don't have the numbers in front of me, but it feels like this series alone has exceeded his letter-F grades throughout the whole dang regular season.

Nothing went right for Gilgeous-Alexander. The scoring dipped to about what he's usually accumulated in one half of basketball. The savvy playmaking went up in smoke. Suddenly, he's forgotten how to score in transition when the Thunder have the man advantage. And while he had a nefty baseline jumper over Wembanyama, seldom did you see him create his own semi-open looks around the mid-range.

Regardless of what happens in Game 7, this has easily been Gilgeous-Alexander's most volatile playoff series to date. His whole run to NBA all-time greatness has been how safely consistent he's been. He might not have the fireworks that appease the average fan, but he always provided a steady floor you can walk on. That just hasn't been there this series. He has one more chance to either make that a footnote in a series win or a headliner that follows him everywhere all summer.

Jalen Williams: D

In an impromptu game of will-he-won't-he, we finally learned Williams made his surprise return. The All-NBA talent tried to play hero for the Thunder. Perhaps suiting up after a three-game absence would provide them the jolt of energy to finish this on the road. Nope.

Williams finished with one point on 0-of-1 shooting and one assist. He shot 1-of-2 on free throws.

It'd be malpractice not to grade Williams on a curve. Say what you want about his durability concerns, but his heart remains unscathed. Not wanting to live life with regret on what could've been, the 25-year-old gave it a go on an extremely limited basis — just one week after he sustained his fourth hamstring strain in five months.

Hey, I respect it. It's the freaking Western Conference Finals and you're a win away from the NBA Finals. Got to squeeze every drop of juice out of your roster. Williams played in a limited role. He came off the bench. And while he only logged 10 minutes, that's more about how out of hand this game quickly became.

Tipping the cap to his efforts to rush back and play, Williams looked extremely rusty. He was parked in the corner with most of his possessions. The scoring talent was nonexistent. Providing a morale boost to the rest of the Thunder, it'll be interesting to see if he gives it a go for Game 7 as well.

Alex Caruso: D

Staying engaged with the game while San Antonio fans emptied the lower bowl, Caruso supported the third-stringer's extended playing time. While that was at the front of his mind, in the back, the 32-year-old was already thinking about Saturday's Game 7. It's going to be an excruciatingly long 48 hours.

Caruso finished with seven points on 3-of-7 shooting. He shot 1-of-3 from 3. He also had one steal.

Building up Western Conference Finals MVP buzz if the Thunder pulled this off, Caruso crashed back down to Earth to his regular-season form. The scoring eventually normalized. He's already cashed in all of his chips for a handful of scoring explosions this series. Just like the rest of OKC's supporting cast, not much to say here.

Even with his best efforts to bring the energy, nobody else really followed Caruso's lead. Instead, it felt like the Thunder sleepwalked their way to another blowout loss to the Spurs at their place. How this series has played out so far shouldn't be new territory for OKC. It's following the same beats as their seven-game classics with the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers last year.

Now, the Thunder hope their experiences in those two do-or-die situations can carry over once more. If that happens, safe to bet Caruso will play a big part in how Game 7 is decided — one way or the other. He's one of OKC's five most important players and has helped them get three wins despite a shaky series from Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren.

Cason Wallace: B

Bumping into Harper, Wallace ripped the ball away from his possession as he tried to go for the fastbreak layup. While the Thunder weren't able to convert on the turnover on the other end, the 22-year-old is the only guy you can safely say actually showed up to get this series win.

Wallace finished with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, three rebounds and one assist. He shot 3-of-4 from 3. He also had three steals.

While the rest of the class was forced to retake their test, Wallace chilled out with a free hour. He continued to be great on both ends in this playoff series. On one end, he's finally knocking down his outside shots at a sizzling clip. On the other end, he's bullied San Antonio's perimeter players to have an inconsistent showing and struggle with ball security.

Regardless of how Game 7 ends, Wallace has earned himself a hefty bag. The 22-year-old has shown he can be an impact player this deep in the NBA playoffs. Whether it's starting or coming off the bench. That's one of the valuable lessons the Thunder learned ahead of a summer filled with important roster decisions.

As much flak as Wallace routinely gets in the regular season, you've learned he's a playoff riser. About every Thunder role player has had at least one big moment in the Western Conference Finals. He's been a steady force filled with positives that has helped OKC overcome its two All-NBA players' lackluster showcase.

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This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder no-show in 118-91 Game 6 loss to Spurs

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