NBA Western Conference Finals: May 24, 2026 - American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
(4-0) San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks (0-4)SA | 28 | 24 | 35 | 25 | 112 DAL | 23 | 29 | 27 | 25 | 104
Starting Lineups
De'Aaron Fox - G - Jaden Hardy
Devin Vassell - G - Klay Thompson
Stephon Castle - F - Josh Green
Zion Williamson - F - Naji Marshall
Victor Wembanyama - C - Anthony Davis
G De'Aaron Fox: 22 pts, 3 reb, 7 ast, 2 stl, 8-19 FG, 6-9 FT G Devin Vassell: 19 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 6-11 FG, 5-9 3PT F Stephon Castle: 4 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast, 2-8 FG, 0-2 3PT F Zion Williamson: 0 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3PT C Victor Wembanyama: 43 pts, 19 reb, 16-28 FG, 4-10 3PT G Tre Johnson: 12 pts, 4 reb, 4-12 FG, 2-5 3PT
i need to get him more touches. when i do he's effective but i also bumped the sliders to make defense better so he pretty much can't beat anyone off the dribble
Wemby's coronation or the end of a title draught in Indy? The top two seeds face off in the NBA Finals APMay 27, 2026
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- The San Antonio Spurs have lost just one playoff game in their entire path to the NBA Finals, making their first appearance as a franchise without Tim Duncan. They'll face off against the Indiana Pacers, who also finished at the top of their respective conference and have loss just four games on their way to the Finals.
The Pacers beat the Washington Wizards 4-1 in the first round, took care of Toronto in six games and then dropped just one game against the Chicago Bulls, who had upset the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks to make an unlikely appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Despite it being a matchup of the two top seeds, it still feels like a surprising contest to decide who will lift up the Larry O'Brien Trophy. The Pacers, due to no fault of their own, got to avoid many of the top teams in the East with Cleveland and the Knicks being knocked out by an underdog Chicago team. Prior to the season, you would have said that they lack a clear superstar although Tyrese Haliburton had quitted that chatter, averaging 26.7 points per game and eleven assists this year, numbers he improved in the playoffs (28.9 points per game, 12.1 assists) with better efficiency that's bordering on 50-40-90 club, shooting forty eight percent from the field. There's also the fact that they, like San Antonio, are also a smart market team.
For the Spurs, the surprise is that their inexperience hasn't mattered. Wembanyama's first playoff game was his only loss of the playoffs, getting outdone by the veteran trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. Since then, Wembanyama's inexperience hasn't mattered, knocking out the Suns and then making his way through the Anthony Edwards led Timberwolves and dominating his matchup against Anthony Davis.
The Finals feels like the final infinity stone for a young Victor Wembanyama, the completion of his coronation as not just the next face of the NBA but its current overlord with a reign that is only just beginning. For Indiana, these Finals feel like decades in the making from Reggie Miller to Malice in the Palace to the Paul George led teams that never got over the LeBron James hump. The state of Indiana deserves this championship but superstars like Victor Wembanyama, just like LeBron James before him and Michael Jordan before him, have a way of getting in the way of such storybook endings.
Projected starting lineups San Antonio Spurs: De'Aaron Fox - Devin Vassell - Stephon Castle - Zion Williamson - Victor Wembanyama Indiana Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton - Andrew Nembhard - Benedict Mathurin - Pascal Siakam - Myles Turner
Player to watch Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers -- Victor Wembanyama is going to get his, that much is inevitable. Myles Turner, a seven-footer with defensive prowess in his own right, has to make him work for it. Turner has the foot speed and athleticism to at least keep up with Wembanyama on the perimeter, unlike Steven Adams while also being physical enough to be a post presence when Wembanyama does venture inside. Offensively, he also needs to attract Wembanyama out of the paint, allowing Tyrese Haliburton to be able to get downhill where he's at his best, either finishing or dishing it out to an open man.
Storyline to watch Can Benedict Mathurin be the fifth best player in this series? The Spurs have two of the top three players in this series in Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox, which some might even have over Haliburton. No matter how you order it, that much is not up for debate. Most would have Pascal Siakam, the only champion of the bunch, as the fourth best player in this series. After that, the debate gets interesting. You have a more proven player in Zion Williamson, although his production has been waning. You have a rising prospect in Stephon Castle, who seems poised to be a future All-Star. There's also the versatile, two-way role players such as Devin Vassell, Lonzo Ball or Jeremy Sochan whose defensive abilities keep them in the conversation. The common theme here? They all play for San Antonio. The only player that could enter this conversation above Williamson would be Benedict Mathurin, the fourth-year player out of Arizona that was a former top-six pick in the draft. Mathurin has struggled with efficiency in the playoffs but he's still averaging 17.4 points per game and scored 24 points in Game 1 against Chicago. If he can be that type of player more consistently and leave his Game 6 performance against Toronto (0-for-11 shooting) in the rearview mirror, this should be a more competitive series.
Prediction
San Antonio has the third best scoring offense in the playoffs this year. The Pacers are fifth. The Spurs are the top ranked scoring defense. The Pacers are second. The two teams are first and second in nearly every category with San Antonio always on top. It's hard to pick against this Spurs team that is well balanced offensively, have answers for nearly everything that Indiana's offense could throw at them with an embarrassment of elite defenders but the Pacers have the depth, both on the wing, and along the frontcourt to be a pesky out for the Spurs. Pick: San Antonio 4, Indiana 2
G De'Aaron Fox: 22 pts, 3 reb, 7 ast, 2 stl, 8-19 FG, 6-9 FT
G Jaden Hardy: 13 pts, 2 reb, 4 ast, 5-13 FG, 3-8 3PT
