Victor Wembanyama had an underwhelming night with 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks on 4-for-15 shooting as the San Antonio Spurs dropped Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, 127-114, against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite his struggles, many fans blamed the officiating.
In the final minute of the third quarter, Luke Kornet, the Spurs' backup center, attempted a putback but was stopped by Cason Wallace. The review, however, revealed that it should have been called goaltending.
© Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Johnson turned to the referees to challenge the call. Even players on the bench joined the head coach in doing the challenge motion to get the officials' attention. Unfortunately for the Spurs, their request was not granted and the play continued. The team's bench was also given a technical foul for stepping onto the court while the ball was in play.
After the Game 5 loss, Johnson was asked by the media about why his challenge request was not acknowledged. The head coach kept his response short.
"They just said they didn't see me," Johnson said.
Aside from the no-call on the goaltend, there was also a no-call on an out-of-bounds play. The ball landed on Chet Holmgren's left foot, and he was not called for a kicked ball violation. Rather, it was recorded as a turnover on Wembanyama.
Mitch Johnson Addressed What Went Wrong in Game 5
The Spurs entered their matchup with a clear advantage: a complete squad. The Thunder, meanwhile, did not have key players Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell on the floor. Even shorthanded, the defending champions still prevailed and secured a victory on their home floor.
San Antonio's head coach did not hold back in criticizing what went wrong for the team, admitting that the Spurs were underwhelming in multiple areas.
"It just felt like it was a little bit of everything, in terms of we did not put ourselves in position enough to be successful in each possession," Johnson said.
The Thunder are one win away from returning to the NBA Finals to face the New York Knicks. Game 6 will be in San Antonio on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
