OG Anunoby | OKC Topic Thunder

#1 Oklahoma City Thunder (9-1) @ #2 San Antonio Spurs (9-4)
When: Friday, 22 May 2026 at 7:30pm CST
Where: Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, TX
TV: NBC/Peacock
Playoff Offensive Rating (of the remaining 4 playoff teams): SAS: 114.4 (3rd) / OKC: 128.2 (1st)
Playoff Defensive Rating (of the remaining 4 playoff teams): SAS: 100.0 (1st) / OKC: 108.2 (3rd)
Playoff Net Rating (of the remaining 4 playoff teams): SAS: 14.4 (3rd) / OKC: 20.0 (2nd)
Series Record: Tied 1-1

The Tip-Off

Perspective can be a funny thing. Both of these teams are heading into Game 3 saying the same thing: “Damn, we could be up 2-0.” San Antonio had control for most of Game 1, but could never completely shut the door on OKC and required double overtime to secure a victory. And OKC was the aggressor in Game 2, but their lead never completely felt safe. A couple shots going in either way, and we have a completely different series on our hands. That’s how close this series has been, After two games, OKC is leading San Antonio in total points scored in the series, 237-235. When a series is tied 1-1, the winner of Game 3 wins the series 73.3% of the time. Last season, though, OKC bucked that trend in the Denver and Indiana series, losing Game 3 in both series, and coming back to win the series in 7 games.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

Line: OKC -1.5
O/U: 217.5

Injury Report

OKC

Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
Jalen Williams – Questionable (hamstring)

SAS

De’Aaron Fox – Questionable (ankle)
Dylan Harper – Questionable (adductor)

Three Big Things

The Officials – It sucks that this has to lead off my “3 Big Things”, but we all know there will ultimately be a game where the refs are going to swing the momentum either way. To their credit, the refs have been great in the first two games. This series is extremely physical both ways and the refs have done a great job of controlling the game, both from a physicality perspective and a foul-calling perspective. The more aggressive team has rightfully gotten the benefit of the calls in both games. But now that Isaiah Hartenstein has imposed his will on Victor Wembanyama, will Marc Davis and his crew try to course-correct the physicality or will it be a continuation of the first two games?
Injuries/Depth – This is why depth is king in today’s NBA. By this point in the season, teams are dealing with some sort of injury to key player(s). It is almost a given. New York has had to keep an eye on OG Anunoby’s hamstring. San Antonio with Fox and, now, Harper. OKC with Jalen Williams. Cleveland has probably been the healthiest, but also benefit from having a deep roster. If both Fox and Harper have to sit, it could bear itself pretty significantly if the Spurs have to play their 9th-10th guys. Jordan McLaughlin and Harrison Barnes got some action in Game 2 and McLaughlin was a -10 in his 7 minutes of action. OKC has basically played the entire season without Dub, but it still would have been beneficial to have him healthy throughout the playoffs.
Force Wemby to Work – As crazy as it may sound, they way to defeat Wembanyama is to make him work defensively. In Game 1, OKC was thinking too much on the offensive end and allowing Wemby to just roam and not tire himself out defensively. He played defense mentally, more than physically in Game 1. In Game 2, OKC continuously put him into actions and made him have to move around and make decisions. Many times, it was the correct decision, but OKC was able to catch more of a rhythm offensively because they forced Wemby to have to make a decision and then dictated terms from there. A secondary effect to this is tiring Wemby so he isn’t as effective on the offensive end for San Antonio.

NCAA BASKETBALL: JAN 02 Indiana at Nebraska

Oklahoma City comes into this draft with only one pick: no. 21 in the first round. There are options to move up, move down, or trade. But another scenario would be the Thunder staying at 21 and drafting a player there. Luckily for them, this is an incredibly deep draft with talented players scattered all they way into the first third of the second round. With that said, there are also disclaimers. Picking in the 20’s is a crap shoot. For every Reggie Jackson or Serge Ibaka the Thunder have drafted in the 20’s, there’s also a Mitch McGary or Byron Mullens.

There are a number of factors that could come into play with this draft pick. Are the Thunder looking for someone that could play immediately as a role player? Or are they looking for someone with more upside that could possibly be more than a role player once they fully develop? Players that can fit into a role immediately are usually older players that have several seasons of either college experience or international play under their belt. A good example of that from the Thunder would be Alex Abrines, who was able to step into the role of floor spacer after about the first quarter of the season. Domantas Sabonis, on the other hand, had only two years of experience at Gonzaga, and is more of a developmental project for the Thunder. The Sabonis the Thunder get in 2 years will likely be a much different player than the Sabonis they had last season.

With that said, here are 5 options the Thunder may choose from their draft spot at 21. Continue reading →