Latin America Sports Daily for Sunday, May 31, 2026

01

Kornet’s Block, Champagnie’s Six Threes, Wembanyama Named MVP: Spurs Win Game 7 on the Road and Head to the Finals

NBA

The San Antonio Spurs reached the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014, winning a tightly contested Game 7 111-103 at the Paycom Center on Saturday night. Victor Wembanyama was named Western Conference Finals MVP after a 22-point, 7-rebound performance that included three three-pointers; the more emphatic offensive contribution came from Julian Champagnie, whose six three-pointers and 20-point night answered every Oklahoma City run throughout the second half. Stephon Castle added 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. All five Spurs starters plus Harper and Keldon Johnson off the bench finished in double figures: seven players in double digits against a Thunder side that had led the NBA in scoring throughout the regular season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played the game of the series on the losing side. Without Jalen Williams (ruled out with his hamstring injury), SGA shouldered the entire offensive burden, scoring a game-high 35 points on 12-of-21 shooting with 9 assists. He was extraordinary; the rest of Oklahoma City’s starting lineup was not. Cason Wallace was the only other Thunder starter in double figures with 17 points. Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein combined for 18 points on 7-of-22 shooting. The game remained within single digits until the third quarter’s defining sequence: with OKC trailing by 7 and mounting a comeback, Isaiah Hartenstein broke free on a fast break that appeared destined to cut the deficit to five. Luke Kornet came from nowhere to swat the attempt at the rim. Stephon Castle scored at the other end. A 7-0 Spurs run followed. OKC never fully recovered.

For Wembanyama, reaching the Finals in his third NBA season places him in rare company: Hakeem Olajuwon (second season), Tim Duncan (first), and Shaquille O’Neal (second) are the modern bigs who arrived at the Finals as quickly. More meaningfully, the Spurs’ WCF victory is San Antonio’s first Conference Finals win since the 2014 championship run, breaking a 12-year gap in Finals appearances. “This group never flinched,” coach Mitch Johnson said in the post-game press conference. “They were just a better team tonight from start to finish.”

The NBA Finals: Spurs vs Knicks begin Wednesday June 3 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio at 8:30 PM ET on ABC. It is a rematch of the 1999 Finals, which San Antonio won in five games; the last Finals game at Madison Square Garden was June 25, 1999, exactly 9,845 days before Game 3 in New York on Monday June 8. The Spurs hold home-court advantage (Games 1, 2, 5, 7 in San Antonio; Games 3, 4, 6 at MSG). Entering the series, San Antonio are favoured at approximately -196; the Knicks come in with 9 days of rest after sweeping Cleveland and 11 consecutive playoff wins, though Mitchell Robinson’s broken right pinkie and post-surgery timeline clouds the matchup at centre.

Key series storylines to watch: Wembanyama vs Mitchell Robinson (if fit) and Karl-Anthony Towns in the paint; Jalen Brunson vs De’Aaron Fox in the backcourt; and whether Dylan Harper’s late-series emergence carries into the Finals or regresses against New York’s defence.

KEY STAT: Spurs 111-103 Thunder, Game 7, Paycom Center. Wembanyama: 22 pts, 7 reb, WCF MVP. Champagnie: 20 pts, 6-6 from 3. Castle: 16/6/6. 7 Spurs in double figures. SGA: 35 pts (12-21 FG), 9 ast, series-high but only Cason Wallace (17) helped. Kornet chasedown block was game-turning play. Spurs first Finals since 2014; Wemby third-year Finals appearance. NBA Finals Game 1: Wednesday June 3, 8:30 PM ET, Frost Bank Center, San Antonio. Series format: 2-2-1-1-1; Spurs host G1, G2, G5, G7. Spurs -196 favourites (FanDuel).

02

Havertz Stuns PSG Early, Dembélé Levels From the Spot, Gabriel Misses the Decisive Penalty: PSG Are Back-to-Back Champions

Champions League

Six minutes. That is how long Arsenal led in the Champions League final. Kai Havertz, arriving at the far post from a Declan Rice cross, smashed the ball in off his instep to silence a crowd that had assumed PSG’s overwhelming possession dominance in the first ten minutes would translate into an early lead. It did not; Arsenal sat deep, pressed in organised waves, and took the lead against the balance of play. The Puskás Aréna crowd was stunned. At half-time Arsenal still led 1-0, having conceded 77% of possession but defended brilliantly, with goalkeeper David Raya and Brazilian centre-back Gabriel Magalhães both central to three goal-line clearances and high-press interceptions.

The equaliser came from the penalty spot in the 65th minute. Kvaratskhelia’s give-and-go with Dembélé took him into the box; Arsenal’s Yerson Mosquera, on a yellow card, dived in and caught the Georgian’s ankle. Referee Daniel Siebert pointed to the spot after a brief VAR check. Ousmane Dembélé, the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, sent David Raya the wrong way. From that moment, PSG dominated. Extra time was 30 minutes of PSG pressure against Arsenal’s flagging but organised rearguard. Doué’s shot deflected off Saliba in the 118th minute and looped toward goal before Raya clawed it away. A Viktor Gyökeres near-post header in the 105th missed by centimetres. The game went to penalties.

The shootout, in sequence: Gonçalo Ramos scored for PSG; Gyökeres levelled for Arsenal. Doué sent Raya the wrong way; Eze, who had come on as a substitute, stuttered in her run-up and sent the ball wide. Hakimi scored for PSG; Declan Rice converted for Arsenal. Lucas Beraldo, the Brazilian defender, stepped up fourth for PSG and buried his attempt. Arsenal’s fourth taker was Gabriel Magalhães. Needing to score to keep the shootout alive, the Brazilian centre-back sent the ball blazing over the crossbar. Marquinhos, PSG’s Brazilian captain, ran to console him immediately.

PSG are champions for the second consecutive year, the first repeat winner since Real Madrid’s threepeat concluded in 2018. Luis Enrique has now won the Champions League in both of his full seasons in charge in Paris. Vitinha was named player of the final despite not scoring, his control of the tempo in the second half and extra time having been decisive in PSG’s sustained pressure. Arsenal end a season in which they won the Premier League for the first time in 22 years without their first European Cup; manager Mikel Arteta promised the club would “be very ambitious” in the summer transfer window.

Penalty shootout full sequence: Ramos ✓ / Gyökeres ✓ | Doué ✓ / Eze ✗ | Hakimi ✓ / Rice ✓ | Beraldo ✓ / Gabriel ✗. Final: PSG 4-3 Arsenal on penalties.

KEY STAT: PSG 1-1 Arsenal (AET), Puskás Aréna Budapest, PSG win 4-3 on penalties. Goals: Havertz (Arsenal, 6′); Dembélé pen (PSG, 65′, foul on Kvaratskhelia by Mosquera). Penalties: PSG scored Ramos, Doué, Hakimi, Beraldo; Arsenal scored Gyökeres, Rice, Martinelli. Misses: Eze (wide), Gabriel (over). Vitinha named Player of the Final. PSG: back-to-back UCL champions, only second club since Real Madrid (2016-18). Arsenal: 266 games in European competition without the Champions League trophy.