SAN ANTONIO -- More than eight minutes into Sunday's Game 4, the Oklahoma City Thunder's only source of offensive production was a series of floaters by center Isaiah Hartenstein.
Hartenstein cooled off, and none of the other Oklahoma City players got rolling against the smothering San Antonio Spurs defense.
The result was a 103-82 loss, evening the Western Conference finals at 2-2 as the series shifts back to Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Tuesday.
"They just punched us in our face early," said Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 19 points on 6-of-15 shooting. "I think they just did a good job of being the aggressors. They were in us -- forcing turnovers, being physical."
It was the worst offensive performance in years for the Thunder, who were missing two of their top three creators with Jalen Williams (left hamstring soreness) and Ajay Mitchell (right calf strain) sidelined by injuries. Oklahoma City last scored fewer than 82 points in a game on Dec. 2, 2021, when the then-rebuilding Thunder were held to 79 points in a record-setting 73-point loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Thunder's output Sunday was the lowest-scoring playoff performance by a team that had the NBA's best record that season since 2013, when the Spurs held the Miami Heat to 77 points in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
The Thunder had a horrific shooting performance (33% from the floor, 18.2% from 3-point range) and were sloppy with the ball, committing 20 turnovers that the Spurs converted into 25 points.
"I thought we left a lot to be desired on that end of the floor tonight," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "We didn't have the sharpness, force or precision necessary to crack them. They were really good defensively. Just their energy, their physicality."
Victor Wembanyama, who was unanimously voted Defensive Player of the Year, was once again a dominant force on that end of the floor, blocking three shots, including a spectacular rejection of a Chet Holmgren dunk attempt in the opening minutes of the game. But San Antonio guard Stephon Castle set the tone with his lockdown perimeter defense on Gilgeous-Alexander, who struggled to find a rhythm with the Spurs' defense loaded up on him.
All but one of Gilgeous-Alexander's 15 field goal attempts were contested. He ran plays against eight different San Antonio defenders, but Castle had the primary assignment, holding Gilgeous-Alexander to 2-of-6 shooting when he guarded the two-time MVP. Gilgeous-Alexander committed four turnovers, and his teammates shot only 7-of-18 off his passes.
"Two of our handlers, our creators are out, but guys are good off the ball, and we played a fair amount of games this year with no handlers," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "So, we're a little bit used to that. But I mean, regardless, I think it's just a snowball effect. I think when you come out with the right energy, things like that work out and the offense has flow. And I don't think we came out with the right energy today."
Holmgren, who learned pregame that he was a third-team All-NBA selection, was a nonfactor offensively. He scored 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting and had as many turnovers as buckets.
Holmgren excelled offensively as the Thunder swept the first two rounds, averaging 18.6 points while shooting 60% from the floor against the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. He has struggled against Wembanyama and the Spurs, averaging 11.3 points and shooting 46.9% from the floor in this series.
"We have to trust each other," Holmgren said. "We have to use each other to help find cracks, help get good looks. If one or two don't go down, we can't lose trust."
ESPN Research contributed to this report.