Thunder fail to defend their title; DeGnott: Our mistakes gave our opponents many opportunities.

In a key game of the 2025/26 NBA Western Conference Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder, after goals from Gilgeous-Alexander, Carson Wallace, and Alex Caruso, were defeated 103-111 by the San Antonio Spurs at home, losing the series 3-4 and failing to defend their title.

According to the data, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points and 9 assists for the Oklahoma City Thunder in this game, Carson Wallace scored 17 points and 4 assists, and Alex Caruso contributed 12 points and 4 assists.

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach DeGnott said, "First of all, congratulations to the San Antonio Spurs. They've had a tough series and are on an incredible journey right now. We have a lot of respect for their team, their management, and my colleague Mitch Johnson. It's not easy for them to grow into the team they are this season, but what's even more impressive is how they've improved throughout the season and maintained their hunger for victory."

"I want to thank the fans who came to the stadium, and all the fans who have always supported us. I often say that the fans give us the motivation to move forward, and the atmosphere at this game was simply incredible."

Degnot pointed out, "Our opponents' control of the ball in this game was impressive, which was a major reason why they were able to win. Our mistakes obviously gave them a lot of opportunities, and they made a lot of difficult shots, which I would call clutch shots."

“I think we were in a very good position at halftime, and I also think we were still in control going into the third quarter. But they always managed to respond, so we have to give them our respect.”

In addition, Degnot added, "Giljes Alexander played exceptionally well; he had a great game, a performance befitting his key battle level."

"The NBA season is always very tough, and I don't think those challenges and difficulties are necessarily related to the pressure of defending the title. We can be proud of the team's efforts, progress, and the level of competition we showed throughout the season. At the same time, we are also disappointed with this result."

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