Spurs knock out Thunder in Game 7: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio will face Knicks in NBA Finals

As expected, Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was named MVP of the Western Conference Finals. 

The French big man, who was emotional after the final buzzer, finished with a team-high 22 points and seven rebounds in Game 7. 

For the series, Wembanyama averaged 27.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.7 blocks

The Spurs are trying to hang on. They're up six with the ball and just called a timeout with 43 seconds left. Notably, both teams have a foul to give and the Thunder are out of timeouts

Luke Kornet was in briefly for Victor Wembanyama, who is saddled with foul trouble, and came up with an incredible defensive play to swing momentum in the Spurs' favor. Isaiah Hartenstein came up with a steal, and it looked like he was going to throw down a dunk to cut the deficit to four. Instead, Kornet rose up for an incredible chasedown block.

Kornet's play led to a jumper by Stephon Castle, which began a 7-0 run that put the Spurs back up double digits

The Thunder went to a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-Isaiah Hartenstein pick-and-roll right out of the timeout, and it led to an and-one dunk for Hartenstein. The foul was on Victor Wembanyama, who now has five with seven minutes to play. He's staying in the game for now, but the Spurs are going go have to get him out for a while. 

What a start to the fourth quarter by the Spurs. They're on a 17-9 burst to push their lead back to 11 with eight minutes to play and officially have the reigning champs on the ropes. Keldon Johnson has been incredible in the fourth. He hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the frame and just finished a tough layup in transition to force a Thunder timeout. 

The first Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals since 2018 has lived up to expectations. 

The Spurs have largely controlled the game -- they've led by double digits in each half -- but have been unable to pull away. Now, with 12 minutes to play to decide who will represent the West in the NBA Finals, just three points separate these great teams. Let's hope the final quarter will be just as dramatic as the first three. 

Julian Champagnie has 17 points to lead the Spurs, while Victor Wembanyama has 16 points and seven rebounds. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, meanwhile, has a game-high 31 points and six assists for the Thunder; their other four starters have 14 combined points. 

Victor Wembanyama just buried a 3-pointer to put the Spurs back up by double digits. They're on a 16-2 run that has stunned the Paycom Center. The Spurs' poise in this game has been incredible. Every time the Thunder have made a push, they've responded immediately to regain control of the game

The Thunder surged in front late in the second quarter to take their first lead since Game 5, but the Spurs, who led by as many as 14 in the first quarter, responded with a 7-0 to close the half and will go into the break up by three in what has turned into an exciting contest. 

This kind of action is what everyone was hoping for from Game 7, especially after a series of blowouts in the middle of the series. 

Stephon Castle (12 points), Victor Wembanyama (10) and De'Aaron Fox (10) are all in double figures for the Spurs, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a game-high 19 points to lead the Thunder. Second-chance points have been huge for OKC; they've turned nine offensive rebounds into 17 second-chance points. Without those extra opportunities, San Antonio would have an even bigger lead. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has had a tough series, but he's been at his MVP best tonight. He's got 11 points in the second quarter and his up to 17 for the night on 7 of 10 from the field. And all of a sudden, the Spurs' lead is down to just two points with just over three minutes to play in the half. 

De'Aaron Fox just drove inside for a floater that began a mini 5-0 run for the Spurs to push their lead back up to nine points. Live, it seemed as though he tip-toed along the sidelined, but the replay showed that he stepped out of bounds and the play should have resulted in a turnover. 

Potentially huge swing in this game

The Spurs controlled the first quarter and led by as many as 14, but the Thunder were able to work their way back into the game and Jared McCain's 3-pointer late in the frame cut the deficit to seven. All things considered, the Thunder have to be pretty happy. They've been far off the pace, but seven points is nothing in today's NBA. They're right in this game, especially at home. 

Stephon Castle has nine points to lead the Spurs, while McCain has eight points off the bench to lead the Thunder.  

The young Spurs have shown no signs of Game 7 nerves to start this contest. They're 8 of 12 from the field, every starter has scored and they've already forced four turnovers, which has helped them jump out to an early double-digit lead. The Thunder need to wake up, and quick, or this could get out of hand.