NBA B 12

The series has shifted. The Oklahoma City Thunder led 2-0, then San Antonio won Game 3 at home to make it 2-1. Game 4 is in San Antonio on Sunday at 8:00 PM ET, and the Spurs know what is at stake: lose and face a 3-1 deficit against the team that has been the best in the Western Conference all season.

The series so far

Oklahoma City entered this postseason with the best record in the West and have not lost since the playoffs began. Game 3 broke that run, San Antonio winning at home, shifting the momentum. For the Spurs, it was the first sign that this series is not yet settled. For OKC, it was a reminder that playoff series do not close themselves.

The Thunder are the form team. But the Spurs’ story this season has been one of the most dramatic in recent NBA history: a club that lost 60 games a season ago won 62 this year. That is not a coincidence or a variance swing — it is a transformation. And a team capable of that transformation is capable of finding something in Games 4 and beyond.

The injury picture

Both teams carry questions into Game 4. Dylan Harper has been listed as a concern for San Antonio, and Jalen Williams has appeared in Oklahoma City’s injury reports. If either player is significantly limited or absent, the tactical shape of the match changes considerably.

The injury picture should be confirmed closer to tip-off and is worth monitoring before the game.

What each team needs

San Antonio need to win Game 4 to level the series at 2-2. Playing on home court, they have the crowd behind them and a Game 3 win in their recent memory. A loss puts them in a 3-1 hole from which, while not impossible to escape, no team should expect to recover against OKC’s consistency.

Oklahoma City do not need to close the series tonight, but they came in with momentum and the intention to finish this as efficiently as they have handled everything else this postseason. A win makes a San Antonio comeback structurally very difficult.

Our lean:

Oklahoma City are the stronger team over this series, and their overall play-off form is formidable. But a Spurs team at home, in a must-win situation, with a Game 3 boost behind them, is a genuine test. Expect a competitive game. The Thunder are the marginal favourites, but the gap at home in San Antonio is narrow.

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