SGA and Shorthanded Thunder Bash Spurs in Game 5 to Take 3-2 Series Lead

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OKLAHOMA CITY — Formidable teams don’t stay down for long. After getting thoroughly embarrassed by 21 points in San Antonio on Sunday, the Oklahoma City Thunder returned to the loud city on Tuesday night and reminded everyone why they are the defending NBA champions.

Behind a clinical 32-point masterpiece from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and an improbable scoring punch from their supporting cast, the Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 127–114 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. With the victory, Oklahoma City takes a pivotal 3-2 series lead and moves just one win away from a return trip to the NBA Finals.

SGA Cooks, But the Shorthanded Supporting Cast Steals the Show

While Gilgeous-Alexander was his usual elite self—scoring 32 points and routinely paralyzing the Spurs’ defense on his way to a 16-of-17 night at the free-throw line—the headline of the night was OKC’s depth.

The Thunder entered Tuesday night with a massive cloud hanging over them, missing star wing Jalen Williams and backup guard Ajay Mitchell due to injuries. Enter rookie Jared McCain. Making his first-ever career playoff start, McCain played with zero fear, logging 33 minutes and chipping in a massive 20 points on three 3-pointers.

“We just played to who we were tonight,” Gilgeous-Alexander said postgame. “This team does a great job of just coming back the next day in a very neutral way, taking whatever the lessons are, and applying them forward.”

McCain wasn’t the only one carrying the load. Alex Caruso put on a veteran clinic off the bench, exploding for 22 points while draining four of his eight attempts from beyond the arc. Down low, the twin-tower look of Chet Holmgren (16 points, 11 rebounds) and Isaiah Hartenstein (12 points, 15 rebounds) completely controlled the glass, giving OKC a crucial +7 rebounding advantage.

Smothering the Alien: Wembanyama Held in Check

For San Antonio, the blueprint to pull off a road upset completely fell apart under the weight of a horrific shooting night. The Spurs shot a dismal 29.3% from three, missing 29 of their 41 attempts.

More importantly, OKC’s defense completely claustrophobied Victor Wembanyama. While the French phenom still finished with 20 points, the Thunder held him to a miserable 4-of-15 shooting from the floor, forcing him to do almost all of his damage at the charity stripe (12-of-12).

The lone bright spots for the Silver and Black were rookie guard Stephon Castle, who looked spectacular with a team-high 24 points and 6 assists, and Julian Champagnie, who knocked down four triples en route to 22 points. De’Aaron Fox, however, struggled to find his rhythm against Caruso and Cason Wallace, finishing with just 9 points on 4-of-15 shooting.

A Second-Quarter Parade and Third-Quarter Controversy

The game turned decisively in the second quarter when the Thunder offense caught absolute fire, hanging a 40-point frame on San Antonio to build a double-digit cushion. The quarter devolved into a historic free-throw parade, with the teams combining for 29 free throws in the second quarter alone—the most in a single playoff quarter in six years.

Despite trailing by as many as 20 in the third, San Antonio mounted a furious rally to cut the deficit to eight. Then, the officiating drama took center stage.

In the final minute of the third quarter, two massive calls went against the Spurs:

A Luke Kornet tip-in try was swatted off the rim by Cason Wallace in what clearly appeared to be uncalled goaltending.
On the very next possession, a ball clearly deflected out of bounds off Chet Holmgren, but it was awarded to OKC.

Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson frantically tried to challenge the out-of-bounds call, but was ignored by the refs, and promptly hit with a technical foul for his protests. The Thunder capitalized, extended the lead back to 101-91 entering the fourth, and kept the lead in double digits for virtually the entire final period.

What’s Next?

The Spurs find themselves pushed to the brink of elimination, but they will have the comfort of their home floor for Game 6 on Thursday night at the Frost Bank Center. If San Antonio can defend home court, a winner-take-all Game 7 will await back in Oklahoma City on Saturday.

Waiting patiently in the wings for whoever survives this Texas-Oklahoma heavyweight battle? The New York Knicks, who completed their sweep of Cleveland on Monday, are resting up for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 3.