The Oklahoma City Thunder fell 111-103 to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals on Saturday at Paycom Center, ending their season as Victor Wembanyama and his group advanced to the NBA Finals.
After the loss, Cason Wallace focused on how the game’s opening stretch shaped the outcome. “I’d say they came and threw the first punch. We were at home. We should have done a lot of things, but obviously we didn’t do them. So we could have thrown the first punch tonight.”
The Thunder guard also pointed to execution across possessions rather than a single factor deciding the result. He acknowledged the importance of setting tone early, especially in a Game 7 environment where momentum swings are amplified.
Wallace addressed the defensive issues that surfaced to start the fourth quarter, when San Antonio extended a narrow lead into double digits. “It just wasn’t good enough. I don’t remember much of it, I was just out there playing, but obviously we just didn’t play good enough.”
Despite the setback, he emphasized the competitive nature of the group during their late push in the final minutes. “We’re competitors. We didn’t want to lose. It’s a 48-minute game. We’re going to play the whole 48 minutes. So we tried to make a late push. It just wasn’t enough.”
He also credited the fan support inside the arena as the game closed, when chants continued even as the final outcome became clear. “Best fans in the league for sure. Love them. They’re with us when we’re winning and losing. So got to tip our hats to them.”
The matchup also highlighted how often Oklahoma City faced San Antonio across the season and postseason, including repeated meetings with Victor Wembanyama leading the opposing front line. Wallace acknowledged the challenge of facing a structured opponent that consistently started games strongly.
“They’re a good team. A beatable team. Obviously we beat them, but we just got to do things better for a longer period of time.”
When asked about the Spurs’ early-game pressure and repeated fast starts, Wallace did not point to a single reason. “I don’t know,” he said, reflecting the inconsistency that defined parts of the series.
Oklahoma City also leaned heavily on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who led the team offensively in the series, but the final Game 7 swing came down to execution in key stretches rather than individual production.
