Thunder stifle Wembanyama as Spurs face elimination down 3-2

In the long arc of basketball history, the tension between transcendent individual talent and collective defensive intelligence has always been one of the sport's deepest dramas. On Tuesday night in Oklahoma City, the Thunder held Victor Wembanyama — the most singular young player in the game — to his quietest performance of the series, winning 127-114 to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals. The Spurs now return home for a Thursday elimination game, carrying both the weight of that formula and the hope that their 21-year-old prodigy can reclaim the version of himself that has made