West finals shift to San Antonio, while Spurs and Thunder deal with multiple injury concerns

Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander seems to have shaken off his now-traditional Game 1 blahs. San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama is putting up numbers the likes of which haven't been seen in a conference finals for about a half-century.

The stars in these Western Conference finals, they're being stars.

It's the supporting casts that are of major concern — for both teams.

Game 3 of the West title series is on Friday night, things having shifted to San Antonio tied at a game apiece. The Spurs took Game 1 behind 41 points and 24 rebounds from Wembanyama, and the defending champion Thunder got 30 points from Gilgeous-Alexander on the way to getting a victory in Game 2.

“We’re probably most comfortable playing in front of our fans,” Spurs guard Stephon Castle said after the Game 2 loss in Oklahoma City. “I don’t think we’ll have any problem doing that. Mentally, I think we’re all in a good head space. We came here, won a game on the road and they’re a good team and they responded. So, now we have a chance to play in front of our fans.”

It's not the mental side that either the Spurs or the Thunder should be worried about. It's the physical.

There's a bad ankle. A pair of aching hamstrings. A shot to the thigh. And those are only the injuries that the world seems to know about, not even taking into account the aches and pains that have accumulated over the last seven or eight months.

As expected, the West finals are shaping up to be quite the battle. Two battles, really. There's the obvious one, Thunder vs. Spurs, the two best teams in the league this season vying for a spot in the NBA Finals. The other is those teams vs. attrition, and right now, attrition might be winning.

"It feels like that’s always at this time of the season in every sport, right? You have to get to the end to give yourself a chance," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “And I think that’s why we have to continue to trust our depth and guys have to step up when their name’s called — answer the bell and be able to give us some quality minutes.”

Spurs All-Star guard De'Aaron Fox has an ankle issue that's not going away until after the season ends. His replacement, Dylan Harper, seemed to tweak a hamstring in Game 2 and departed early. Thunder guard Jalen Williams aggravated his problematic left hamstring in Game 2 and his replacement, Ajay Mitchell, was shaken up by a thigh issue in the final moments.

The Spurs won Game 1 largely because Harper stepped up. The Thunder won Game 2 largely because Isaiah Hartenstein was a huge factor, both in terms of physicality and production. For as out-of-this-world great as Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama are, there will be X-factors that decide games and perhaps the series.

“I think it’s a privilege," said Hartenstein, who had 10 points and 13 rebounds in Game 2. "You dream of playing in games like this and playing a game against another great team is always something really special. Again, I heard somewhere that pressure is a privilege and so I think just being in this series where the pressure is so high, just trying to go out there and enjoy competing is always something really important.”

Gilgeous-Alexander struggled big-time in Game 1, shooting only 7 for 23 — the sixth time in his last seven Game 1s in which he's failed to make half his shots. But his rhythm was clearly back in Game 2, which is what he expected.

“I just have sucked when I get too long of a break," Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I don’t think it’s anything other than that.”

Wembanyama has 62 points and 41 rebounds so far in the series. Others have had more points in the first two games of a conference finals, but nobody since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1974 have had at least 60 points and 40 rebounds through two games in this round.

“I can think of a few down moments for myself, especially in the fourth quarter,” Wembanyama said after Game 2.

The series, to this point, couldn't be closer — besides the obvious 1-1 tie in games.

The winning team in both games has finished with exactly 122 points. Total points for the series: Thunder 237, Spurs 235. Both teams had an 8-0 run in Game 1, both teams had an 11-0 run in Game 2. The Thunder have made 30 3-pointers, the Spurs 29. The Spurs are shooting 46%, the Thunder 44%.

Here are the big differences: The Spurs have 25 more rebounds — but 19 more turnovers. Castle had a highlight-reel dunk over Hartenstein in Game 2 but has been plagued by 20 turnovers in the two games. And if the Spurs' backcourt remains thin, the pressure on Castle will only ramp up this weekend.

“You've got be aggressive against us," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "But if you’re overaggressive, we’ll make you pay.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama reacts after Game 2 in the Western Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series against the Oklahoma City Thunder Wednesday, May 20, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) defends against Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) during the second half of Game 2 in the Western Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series Wednesday, May 20, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) dunks against Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) during the first half of Game 2 in the Western Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series Wednesday, May 20, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) celebrates with guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) after a dunk during the second half of Game 2 in the Western Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series against the Oklahoma City Thunder Wednesday, May 20, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander celebrates after making a 3-pointer during the second half of Game 2 in the Western Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series against the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday, May 20, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

A Virginia judge on Thursday dismissed all charges against a former school administrator accused of ignoring repeated warnings that a 6-year-old had a gun hours before a teacher was shot.

Acting on a defense motion, Circuit Judge Rebecca Robinson issued the ruling on the fourth day of the trial of Ebony Parker, who was charged with eight felony counts of child neglect.

“The court is of the legal opinion that this is not a crime,” Robinson said.

The former assistant principal was charged in the January 2023 shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News that left teacher Abby Zwerner wounded. Prosecutors had said the charges issued in a grand jury indictment were for each of the bullets in the gun brought into Zwerner’s classroom. Each count could have carried a maximum penalty of five years in prison upon conviction.

“We had hoped the community would have had the opportunity to weigh in through the full judicial process,” Hampton commonwealth's attorney Anton A. Bell said in a statement. “Nevertheless, the Court has now concluded the matter as it deemed appropriate under the law. Our office remains committed to pursuing justice with integrity, transparency, and fairness, while continuing to honor the role that citizens play in our criminal justice system.”

Defense attorney Curtis Rogers told the judge in making his motion that Parker’s decision on the day of the shooting “wasn’t an act of neglect.”

“Her actions in no way indicated that she believed there was a firearm in the possession” of the child, Rogers said.

Another defense attorney, Stephen Teague, said outside court that “we believe that the right outcome was reached and we’re thrilled for Dr. Parker. It was a great relief for her and we’re just happy that we were part of her journey.”

Parker was not called to testify during the trial. On Wednesday, a video interview of Parker conducted three days after the shooting by a school district human resources officer was played in the courtroom for the jury.

Parker said she was told about reports that the student had a gun in his backpack, but said she could not leave her office due to ongoing testing. A reading specialist who first reported the concerns then searched the backpack, but no gun was found, Parker said.

Parker then said the student’s mother would arrive to pick him up and go through the rest of his belongings.

Zwerner testified earlier in the trial that during recess on the school playground, the student wore an oversized jacket and kept both of his hands in his pockets the entire time. Zwerner said she sent a text message with that observation to the reading specialist, who had been tipped off earlier by students about the gun and reported it to Parker.

After recess, the student continued to wear the jacket in the classroom, where Zwerner was shot at a reading table. Zwerner spent nearly two weeks in the hospital, required six surgeries and does not have the full use of her left hand. A bullet narrowly missed her heart and remains in her chest.

Criminal charges against school officials after a school shooting are quite rare, experts say. The shooting sent shock waves through this military shipbuilding community and the country at large, with many wondering how a child so young could gain access to a gun and shoot his teacher.

A jury awarded $10 million to Zwerner in a civil trial last November, where Parker, who no longer works at the school, was the only defendant.

The student’s mother was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for felony child neglect and federal weapons charges.

Ebony Parker, right, speaks with her attorney, Curtis M. Rogers, during pretrial motions for her trial on felony child neglect charges at the Newport News Circuit Court in Newport News, Va., Monday, May 18, 2026. (Peter Casey/The Virginian-Pilot via AP, Pool)

Ebony Parker looks on during jury selection for her trial on felony child neglect charges at the Newport News Circuit Court in Newport News, Va., Monday, May 18, 2026. (Peter Casey/The Virginian-Pilot via AP, Pool)

Newport News Circuit Court Judge Rebecca M. Robinson speaks during the trial of Ebony Parker on felony child neglect charges at Newport News Circuit Court in Newport News, Va., Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (Peter Casey/The Virginian-Pilot via AP, Pool)