Thunder vs. Spurs, for the most part, has brought all the excitement that NBA fans had hoped for.
With a pair of superstars going head-to-head and a budding team rivalry from the regular season, the Western Conference Finals pinned two of the NBA’s elite units against one another. But even with all the highlights from the series, which is now set to go the distance, there has been another lingering narrative:
Excessive fouling.
From allegations of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s blatant “flopping,” to Victor Wembanyama being accused by fans of telling teammates to commit hard fouls, players have been heading to the free-throw line often in Thunder vs. Spurs.
Here’s the full breakdown of how often each team was getting to the line throughout the Western Conference Finals.
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Thunder-Spurs Game 6 foul comparison
In Thursday’s Game 6, the Spurs had the significant free-throw advantage, drawing 21 fouls by the Thunder for 25 free-throw attempts.
Here’s a look at the total free-throw numbers from Game 6:
| Thunder | Team | Spurs |
| 21 | Fouls | 14 |
| 11-12 | FTM-FTA | 21-25 |
Thunder-Spurs series foul comparison
Throughout the Western Conference Finals, to the surprise of some fans, the foul comparison has been fairly equal. Heading into Game 7, the Thunder have been called for a total of 140 fouls, while the Spurs had been called for 131.
Of course, the nature of those foul calls varies, including any intentional fouls toward the end of games.
Additionally, heading into Game 7, the Spurs had attempted a total of 168 free throws, 24 more than the Thunder’s 144.
Here’s a look at the game-by-game and total fouls numbers for the series:
| Thunder Fouls | Game | Spurs Fouls |
| 26 | 1 | 19 |
| 21 | 2 | 21 |
| 25 | 3 | 28 |
| 25 | 4 | 20 |
| 22 | 5 | 29 |
| 21 | 6 | 14 |
| 140 | Totals | 131 |
And a breakdown of the free-throw shooting numbers from the series:
| Thunder FTM-FTA | Game | Spurs FTM-FTA |
| 16-19 | 1 | 27-29 |
| 19-24 | 2 | 15-17 |
| 28-33 | 3 | 27-33 |
| 16-18 | 4 | 24-32 |
| 33-38 | 5 | 28-32 |
| 11-12 | 6 | 21-25 |
| 123-144 (85.4%) | Totals | 142-168 (84.5%) |
Heading into Game 7, Gilgeous-Alexander leads the series in free-throw attempts with 54, while Wembanyama is a close second with 50.
Spurs players with most WCF fouls
- Stephon Castle (24)
- Keldon Johnson (17)
- Julian Champagnie (15)
Here is the area where Gilgeous-Alexander’s ability to draw fouls may show the most.
In the Western Conference Finals, Gilgeous-Alexander’s primary defender, Stephon Castle, leads the series with 24 total personal fouls. After Game 5, he suggested that Oklahoma City gets away with more physicality.
“The way they guard, how physical they are, we don’t get that same luxury to be able to play as physical on the other end at times,” Castle said.
“The way they guard, how physical they are, we don’t get that same luxury to be able to play as physical on the other end at times.”
— Stephon Castle.
(h/t @ohnohedidnt24)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 27, 2026
Keldon Johnson has also picked up 17 Spurs fouls, while Julian Champagnie has 15 in the series.
Thunder players with most WCF fouls
- Isaiah Hartenstein (21)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (17)
- Chet Holmgren (16)
- Luguentz Dort (16)
On the other side of things, Isaiah Hartenstein has unsurprisingly led the Thunder in WCF fouls — he’s often been given the Wembanyama matchup, with the Spurs star shooting 50 free throws in total across the first six games of the series.
Following Hartenstein in Oklahoma City fouls in the series is Gilgeous-Alexander with 17, while Chet Holmgren and Luguentz Dort both have 16.