Spurs reach NBA Finals, ending Thunder’s title defence in Game 7

Spurs reach NBA Finals, ending Thunder's title defence in Game 7

San Antonio ended Oklahoma City’s reign as NBA champions on Saturday, May 30, 2026, defeating the Thunder 111-103 in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014. Victor Wembanyama led San Antonio with 22 points and seven rebounds, while two-time reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 35 points in a losing effort for Oklahoma City.

The series was closely contested throughout, with both teams holding leads at various stages before San Antonio outlasted the defending champions in the decisive game. The Spurs will now face the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals – a matchup that reprises the 1999 championship series, which San Antonio won in five games. The Knicks reached the Finals for the first time in 27 years after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The winner will become the eighth different franchise to claim the championship in as many seasons, extending what is described in draft material as the longest such stretch in NBA history. The run began with Toronto in 2019 and continued through the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee, Golden State, Denver, Boston, and Oklahoma City. No defending champion has appeared in a repeat Finals since Golden State in 2019. The Thunder-Spurs Game 7 was the 160th winner-take-all contest in NBA history and the fifth such game this postseason. San Antonio’s last Finals appearance ended in a championship – a five-game victory over the Miami Heat in 2014.

Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals is scheduled to tip off Wednesday in San Antonio.