The Oklahoma City Thunder took a commanding 3-2 series lead over the San Antonio Spurs, putting the latter on the brink of elimination. Victor Wembanyama struggled in the loss, and the Spurs big man will need to bounce back in Game 6 to keep his team’s season alive.
Kendrick Perkins Has Strong Words for Victor Wembanyama’s Poor Game 5
Oklahoma City took a 127-114 victory on May 26. Wembanyama collected 20 points on just 4-of-15 shooting (0-for-5 from 3-point range), six rebounds, one assist, two steals, three blocks, and two turnovers. He scored his fewest points across the Western Conference Finals, and his 26.7% efficiency marked the worst in his short postseason career.
Kendrick Perkins, a 2007-08 champion with the Boston Celtics, did not hold back criticism on “Get Up” when describing Wembanyama’s Game 5 performance.
“Wemby got punked last night. He got punked. They were whispering sweet things in his ear… When I saw Wemby come out and want to be a guard, I said it was going to be a long night for him. When he decides to be a big man first with guard skills, that’s when he dominates,” said Perkins.
Kendrick Perkins CALLS OUT Victor Wembanyama:
“Wemby got punked last night. He got punked. They were whispering sweet things in his ear… When I saw Wemby come out and want to be a guard, I said it was going to be a long night for him. When he decides to be a big man first with… pic.twitter.com/kPfSEpareA
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) May 27, 2026
In Game 1, Wembanyama dominated both ends of the floor, finishing with 41 points, 24 rebounds, and three blocks. Thunder head coach Mark Daignault only played Isaiah Hartenstein 12 minutes. However, the Thunder big man has played more ever since, and his 31 minutes in Game 5 were a series high. Hartenstein finished with a 12-point, 15-rebound double-double and added four assists in his best 2026 playoff performance.
Perkins noted that Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams outplayed Wembanyama last night. Williams’ box score only shows three points, four rebounds, and one assist, but he and Hartenstein played physical defense on the San Antonio All-Star throughout the night. They did not let Wembanyama find easy looks in the paint to establish a scoring rhythm.
“Isaiah Hartenstein outplayed him on both ends of the floor and Jaylin Williams. They did a great job of touching him up from start to finish … He was not able to get to his spots, and when you have that type of physicality over the course of a game, it’s going to wear on you,” concluded Perkins.
Thunder Throwing Different Defensive Looks at Wembanyama
Oftentimes, the only way to slow down an All-NBA superstar is to show them multiple defensive adjustments throughout the game. Daignault has done just that throughout this entire series.
In the first few games, Alex Caruso took on the challenge, trying to get underneath Wembanyama on the perimeter and take away his leverage. However, over the last two games, Hartenstein and Williams covered the Spurs’ 7-foot-4 center, trying to play more physical defense down low.
Wembanyama must have a better outing in Game 6 on May 28, or his team likely heads home.
