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Victor Wembanyama Shuts Down Reporter's Take on His Half-Court Buzzer-Beater vs. OKC
Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The San Antonio Spurs needed a big one in Game 4 and Victor Wembanyama delivered exactly that. His 33-point, eight-rebound performance on Sunday helped level the Western Conference Finals at 2-2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder and kept San Antonio right in the thick of what's shaping up to be a serious playoff run.

Wembanyama shot 11-for-22 from the field across 40 minutes and added five assists, two steals and three blocks. The Thunder had no answer for him all night. But one play before halftime had the whole arena buzzing long after the final horn.

With about 1.2 seconds left in the second quarter and the Spurs already leading by nine, Wembanyama caught the ball nearly 90 feet from the basket. Most players look for a timeout or throw it ahead for one last look.

Not Wembanyama. He took a couple of dribbles, stepped up near midcourt and let it fly without a second thought. It went in. The arena went loud. His teammates lost it on the bench. It was that kind of moment.

Wembanyama Responds to Reporter After Half-Court Shot

The shot made noise well beyond the Frost Bank Center. At the postgame press conference, a reporter brought up the fact that Wembanyama regularly attempts half-court shots during practice and misses a lot of them, then asked what made him pull the trigger this time. Wembanyama didn’t entertain the doubt for long.

"I was just thinking, shoot to score," Wemby said. "I wasn't messing around at halftime."

That's all he needed to say.

Wembanyama's Dominance Has Flipped This Series

Wembanyama has completely taken over this matchup against the defending champions. He opened Game 1 with 41 points and 24 rebounds and hasn't let up since. Through four games, he's averaging 30.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 3.0 blocks per game while controlling both ends of the floor.

There's some extra edge behind these performances, too. Wembanyama finished third in MVP voting this season and watched Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pick up his second straight award right before Game 1 tipped off.

San Antonio came out aggressively from the opening possession in Game 4, going on a 16-0 run in the first quarter to build a lead that grew to 25. The Spurs are playing with real confidence right now, and Wembanyama is the reason why. With the series tied heading into Game 5, he's showing no signs of slowing down.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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