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Hartenstein on defensive victory over Wembanyama: “A team thing”

Hartenstein on defensive victory over Wembanyama: “A team thing”

27/May/26 06:45

victor-wembanyama-isaiah-hartenstein — Christian Petersen / Getty Images / Ideal Image

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Collective defensive intensity allows Isaiah Hartenstein and the Oklahoma City Thunder to limit Victor Wembanyama in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals

By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net

The San Antonio Spurs fell into a 3–2 series deficit against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, presented by Google, following a dominant defensive showing by the home team at Paycom Center on Tuesday.

Central to the outcome was the containment of French superstar Victor Wembanyama, who did not make a media appearance after being held to just 20 points on a frustrating 4-of-15 shooting performance from the field. The Thunder‘s suffocating team defense disrupted San Antonio’s offensive focal point, forcing the Spurs into a do-or-die Game 6 back home on Thursday.

Head coach Mitch Johnson did not hold back when evaluating the offensive production required from his franchise cornerstone to survive this deep postseason run. “He’s got to take more than 15 shots, even with the free throws. He’s going to have to score more than 20 points, for sure,” he talked about Wemby’s showing in Game 5 of the best-of-seven series. “OKC did a good job. We’ve got to do a better job.”

“In this type of game, you gotta be sure of everything you’re doing in a secure, mature way,” added the 39-year-old tactician during his postgame press conference.

Conversely, the mood in the Oklahoma City locker room was one of redemption and tactical execution after bouncing back from a lackluster previous outing.

“I think we were disappointed by the way we played. I don’t think we could have played any worse than we did in Game 4, to be honest. So, we just wanted to come out with a little more sense of urgency, and just play better,” mentioned Germany’s Isaiah Hartenstein, after posting a double-double as the starting center opposite Wemby.

Rather than taking individual credit for neutralizing the Le Chesnay native, 28-year-old Hartenstein praised the collective defensive scheme.

“It’s a team thing,” he stressed. “With any great player, you’re not going to stop him with one player. Just going in there, making his looks hard, making sure he just doesn’t get anything easy. I think we did a great job as a team, just executing that.”