Victor Wembanyama scored 33 points and the San Antonio Spurs easily beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-82 on Sunday at home, tying the NBA Western Conference Finals at two wins apiece.

The 22-year-old Frenchman, who played only 31 minutes in order to be rested ahead of what is expected to be a long series, made 11 of 22 shots, including 3 of 7 three-pointers.

"Wemby" also grabbed 8 rebounds, dished out 5 assists and made 3 blocks in a game that was almost entirely one-sided for the Spurs, who are aiming for their first qualification for the NBA finals since their last championship in 2014.

"It was the first time we were behind in this series. We simply reacted. There's nothing extraordinary about that. It wasn't magic. We simply did what we had to do," commented "Wemby," who attributed the Spurs' dominance to having watched "a lot of video, practically non-stop, over the last 24 to 48 hours."

"The series is far from over," he added. "We still need six more wins before we can rest."

Game 5 of this best-of-seven series will take place Tuesday in Oklahoma City, before returning to San Antonio for Game 6 on Thursday.

The Thunder, hoping to win their second consecutive NBA championship, were undefeated on the road in the playoffs after five games this season, but the Spurs' stifling defense ended that streak. The franchise was limited to 82 points, their lowest total since December 2021.

"I need to find ways to impact the game in multiple ways," Wembanyama said. "I have a lot of responsibility, but I'm ready to take it on. We're all going to have to do things we hadn't planned on."

- "I was only thinking about scoring" -

The phenomenon certainly made a lasting impression with a completely crazy long-range basket at the halftime buzzer to give the Spurs a 50-38 lead.

After calling for the ball with less than 5 seconds on the clock, "the alien" made the longest shot of his career, nearly 13 meters from the hoop – almost from his own half, bringing the Frost Bank Center to its feet in an electric atmosphere.

"I was only thinking about scoring. I wasn't pretending," he said when asked about the shot.

"We needed that momentum to go into the second half," said San Antonio guard Devin Vassell.

"Our competitiveness has been very good throughout the year, and he has been one of the main architects of that," said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, regarding Wembanyama.

"Tonight, he felt compelled to set the tone for the team in various ways. His aggressiveness reflected that... I think he aspires to this responsibility. He is made for it," he added.

The center had started strong, scoring six of his eleven points in the first quarter during a 16-0 run for the Spurs, taking his team to 23-8 before finishing the quarter with a score of 28-19.

The Thunder then went on a 10-0 run early in the second quarter, but the Spurs held on to maintain their lead until halftime.

Vassell and Stephon Castle each scored 13 points for the Spurs, while De'Aaron Fox added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

For the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, two-time MVP, scored 19 points, but the reigning NBA champions only made 33% of their shots, with just 6 three-pointers made out of 33 attempts.

"We have good individual defenders and when we play as a team, we manage to limit the number of points scored by our opponents," commented Wembanyama.