<p>The Spurs were aggressive in a win-or-go-home clash with the defending champion Thunder, roared on by a boisterous crowd to keep alive their hopes of reaching the NBA Finals, where the red-hot New York Knicks await.</p><p>Dylan Harper added 18 points from the bench as San Antonio bounced back from Tuesday's disappointing loss to tie up the best-of-seven series at 3-3.</p><p>The final game takes place in Oklahoma City on Saturday.</p><p>"<strong>We ain't done nothing yet,</strong>" said Wembanyama, who collected 10 rebounds and made three blocks.</p><p>"<strong>When your back's against the wall, it feels like it's the best opportunity,</strong>" he added.</p><p>Wembanyama, after an uncharacteristically poor game five, arrived at his first-ever playoff elimination game with ferocious intent.</p><p>The seven-foot-four French superstar - this season's NBA Defensive Player of the Year - came out of the blocks fast, following his teammate Julian Champagnie's quickfire three-pointer with two pinpoint range efforts of his own, plus a block, to open an almost immediate 9-2 Spurs lead.</p><p>Reigning two-time Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - who poured in 32 points in the previous game - looked unsettled.</p><p>He was swarmed by the Spurs defense, missing multiple mid-range efforts.</p><p>The sharp-shooting Spurs' eight three-pointers in the first quarter were their most of any post-season quarter this year.</p><p>Wembanyama and San Antonio's energy and shot accuracy dipped slightly in the second quarter. The Thunder headed into the half-time break somehow just seven points down.</p><p>But the Spurs went on an astonishing 20-0 run in the third quarter to put the game out of sight.</p><p>They were assisted by a disintegrating Oklahoma City offense that missed 13 field goal attempts in a row and went scoreless for more than seven minutes, scoring just 13 points in the third quarter.</p><p>With six minutes left, and the Spurs up 28 points, both teams' starters were benched to rest up for the decider, and the home crowd began to sing "Ole".</p>

'Do or die'

<p>"<strong>Tonight was do or die, and a lot of fans are going to be happy,</strong>" said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson.</p><p>He vowed his team would be "<strong>ready to go into a hostile environment</strong>" against the defending champions, and expects Oklahoma City to bring "their best punch" in game seven.</p><p>"<strong>We're gonna go with our eyes wide open and expecting nothing less,</strong>" he promised.</p><p>Having spurned this chance to become the first team to reach back-to-back NBA Finals since the Golden State Warriors in 2019, the Thunder will have to seize another opportunity on home court this weekend.</p><p>"<strong>When you lose the way we did tonight, there's a lot more we could have done, that's what we'll look at,</strong>" said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault.</p><p>"<strong>We'll go out there and try to do our best to execute those things in game seven to give ourselves the best chance to win.</strong>"</p><p>The Knicks will play the victors, well rested after sweeping both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers in an 11-game winning streak on their way to the finals.</p>