San Antonio. Victor Wembanyama wanted the ball for the final seconds of the first half. He got it 65 feet from the basket.

With three Oklahoma City Thunder defenders in front of him, Wembanyama took three dribbles and launched a shot from the midcourt logo.

Swish.

The buzzer-beating 3-pointer capped a dominant first half and brought the loudest roar of the night from the San Antonio crowd. It was also only one of many standout moments for Wembanyama in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Sunday.

The French star finished with 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Thunder 103-82 to even the series at 2-2.

“The truth is that we had never been in this kind of situation before,” Wembanyama said. “It was our first deficit in a playoff series and we just responded. It wasn’t magic. We just did what we needed to do.”

The Spurs, who won 62 games during the regular season, have now beaten Oklahoma City six times in nine meetings this season. Game 5 will be played Tuesday in Oklahoma City.

Following San Antonio’s Game 3 loss, Wembanyama took responsibility and said he needed to do more to involve his teammates. In Game 4, he delivered on both ends of the floor.

“I saw a lot and I’m not surprised,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “Our competitive response all year has been pretty good, and he’s been at the forefront of that more often than not.”

Wembanyama scored 11 points in the first quarter and added 11 more in the second before sinking the deep 3-pointer at halftime.

Defensively, he was equally dominant. The unanimous NBA Defensive Player of the Year — who was also named first-team All-NBA for the first time Sunday — anchored a Spurs defense that held Oklahoma City to a season-low 82 points and forced 20 turnovers.

The Thunder had scored at least 108 points in every playoff game before Sunday.

“We’ve played 12 playoff games. They’re not all going to be masterpieces,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “As much as you want to win, there are nights where you just don’t have it.”

Oklahoma City struggled badly offensively with Wembanyama protecting the paint. The Thunder shot just 18-for-41 inside and 12-for-50 from 3-point range.

Asked how the Spurs slowed down the Thunder, Wembanyama credited discipline and trust in the game plan.

“The series is far from over,” he said. “We’ve got six more wins before we can rest.”

Add as a preferred source on Google +