The Oklahoma City Thunder secured a 123-108 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night to take a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference Finals. The road win materialized after the Thunder fell into a steep early deficit and played without a key frontcourt starter.
San Antonio opened the game with a 15-0 run. This initial surge was the longest run to open a conference finals game since the NBA began tracking play-by-play data in 1997. The home team’s fast start was fueled by the return of De’Aaron Fox to the lineup.
Oklahoma City head coach Mark Daigneault called an early timeout to halt the scoring drought and deployed his second unit. The tactical pivot completely altered the game. The Thunder reserves heavily outscored the Spurs’ bench 76-23. Those 76 points set a new conference finals record for the post-1984 playoff format era.
Rookie Jared McCain anchored the comeback with a playoff career-high 24 points off the bench. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander facilitated the offense from the starting group, posting 26 points and 12 assists.
The Thunder offense maintained its rhythm despite missing Jalen Williams. He was ruled out prior to tip-off due to left hamstring soreness. Jaylin Williams stepped up from the perimeter with 18 points and five 3-pointers, and Alex Caruso chipped in 15.
Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 26 points. Devin Vassell scored 20, and Fox finished his series debut with 15 points. San Antonio could not find an answer once Oklahoma City’s reserves found their shooting stroke.