Before Game 4 tipped off Sunday night in San Antonio, the Spurs received an early blessing.A group of nuns seated near the floor at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio was shown on the arena video board blessing Spurs center Luke Kornet before the Western Conference finals matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, drawing one of the loudest crowd reactions of the night before the game even started.The moment quickly spread across social media as San Antonio jumped out to an early lead and never let off the gas. Kornet, already a fan-favorite for his energy, appeared to lean fully into the moment.The group of nuns are part of a community of Spurs fans from the San Antonio chapter of the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco. They used to appear regularly at Spurs events over the past couple decades, though they had not attended a game this season. Some fans credit them for the Spurs' draft luck, as the nuns root for and pray for the Spurs.
Kornet is a devout Catholic who used to regularly write about his faith on his blog. In an interview with the website Sojourner, one of the nuns, Sister Bernadette Mota, said that Kornet was one of her favorite players on the team because "I just really look up to the way he’s not afraid to share his faith on the public scene."The Spurs fed off the nuns' energy throughout the night, building a double-digit lead behind their star, Victor Wembanyama, and a swarming defensive effort that frustrated the Thunder offense for most of the game. Kornet, who had been struggling in the series, scored 6 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench, his best performance of the series. During the fourth quarter, NBC's Mike Tirico joked that Kornet should pay for the nuns to attend Game 5 in Oklahoma City.Somewhere between the courtside blessings, the crowd noise and the Spurs dominating the Thunder in Game 4, San Antonio convinced itself a little divine intervention never hurt. The series is now tied at 2 after the Spurs' 103-82 win in Game 4. Perhaps the nuns should catch a flight to OKC for Game 5.May 25, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
