Thunder center Chet Holmgren, left, shoots against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama in the second half of Game 5 of the Western Conference finals in the NBA playoffs on Tuesday in Oklahoma City. (AP photo)

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama was quiet on the floor in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, and silent afterward.

The San Antonio Spurs surely are hoping to see a different version of him tonight.

Game 6 of the West title series awaits, with the Spurs — facing elimination for the first time in these playoffs — set to play host to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Oklahoma City leads the series 3-2 and would have home-court advantage if a Game 7 is necessary on Saturday.

“I think we’ll be fine,” Spurs forward Julian Champagnie said. “I think we’ll be ready to play next game. Obviously, it’s a win-or-go-home situation, so I’m 100% sure everybody’s going to come to play.”

That would include Wembanyama, who was held to a series-low 20 points in Tuesday’s Game 5 loss at Oklahoma City. He didn’t speak with reporters after that game, and the NBA issued him a warning on Wednesday for not fulfilling media obligations.

The Spurs would likely prefer Wembanyama does his talking on the floor tonight. Getting him more than 15 shot attempts will be a priority, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said.

“That’s probably the easiest (adjustment) in terms of just surface-level stuff,” Johnson said. “He’ll definitely need to take more shots.”

There are all sorts of technical and highly nuanced adjustments that get made over the course of a playoff series, especially a back-and-forth playoff series like these West finals have been.

Game plans can seem quite elaborate. But for the Thunder, the plan going into a possible closeout game like Game 6 against the Spurs couldn’t come with a simpler plan.

“We’ve got to understand what’s going on,” Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said.

Here’s what’s going on: The Spurs will be fighting for their playoff lives, with a home crowd behind them hoping to see them extend their season for at least one more game.

A back-and-forth series — San Antonio won Game 1, Oklahoma City won Games 2 and 3, the Spurs won Game 4 and the Thunder prevailed in Game 5 — has now reached the must-win phase for San Antonio.

“We’ve been great when we’re desperate all year,” Spurs guard Stephon Castle said. “I can’t wait to see how we respond.”

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