SGA Explains Viral Video Dissing Isaiah Hartenstein After Thunder's Win vs. Wemby, Spurs

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander clarified his comments about Isaiah Hartenstein's defense on Victor Wembanyama following the Oklahoma City Thunder's 122-113 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.

During his on-court interview after the game, Gilgeous-Alexander initially told NBC's Zora Stephenson he was "not sure if it was good" when asked about Hartenstein's defensive impact on Wembanyama (starts at 48-second mark).

During his post-game press conference with reporters (starts at 8:15 mark), Gilgeous-Alexander explained he "didn't really hear" the initial question from Stephenson but then he did give her "the right answer" when he put it together.

"I didn't really hear her," he said. "And then once I realized what she said, I gave her the right answer. Yeah, at first, I heard it wrong what she said."

While there are instances when that could be a bad excuse, Gilgeous-Alexander did ask Stephenson to repeat a question when she asked a follow-up to indicate he wasn't fully capable of hearing in the moment.

Another possible reason is Gilgeous-Alexander was attempting to avoid giving Wembanyama any potential bulletin-board material that he might be able to use going forward.

Spurs-Thunder Highlights

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Wemby said after his incredible Game 1 performance that watching Gilgeous-Alexander receive the NBA MVP award the night before provided some motivation for how he played.

"Yeah, for sure," Wembanyama said after Monday's game when asked if any part of his performance felt personal. "Everything you just said."

The Spurs superstar didn't repeat his performance from the opener, but he still finished with 21 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and four blocks in 37 minutes.

Hartenstein was solid on both ends of the court for the Thunder. After playing just 12 minutes in Game 1, he put up 10 points and 13 rebounds (eight offensive) in 27 minutes on Wednesday.

The biggest differences in this game were Spurs turnovers and Gilgeous-Alexander looking more like his usual self with 30 points on 12-of-24 shooting, compared to 24 points on 7-of-23 shooting in Game 1.

San Antonio also has to start limiting turnovers, particularly Stephon Castle. He has turned the ball over 20 times in the first two games. The 2024-25 Rookie of the Year had a total of 16 turnovers in six games against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the previous round.

With the series tied at 1-1, it will shift to San Antonio for the next two games. The Thunder and Spurs will play Game 3 on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET.