Thunder take 2-1 lead, beat Spurs 120-101 in Western Conference Game 3

Oklahoma City moved in front in the Western Conference finals on May 22, beating San Antonio 123-108 in Game 3 at Frost Bank Center. The win gave the Thunder a 2-1 series lead after the Spurs had stolen home-court advantage with an overtime victory in Game 1 and Oklahoma City responded in Game 2. The Thunder did it Friday night with depth more than star power, according to game reports and the official NBA game summary. The NBA’s schedule lists Game 4 for Sunday in San Antonio, with the Finals set to open June 3 on ABC. ### How did Oklahoma City flip the game after San Antonio’s fast start? San Antonio opened with a 15-0 run less than three minutes into the game, according to the Associated Press. Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault went to his bench for the first time at that point, and the reserves changed the game’s direction. AP said the Thunder’s second unit kept fresh scorers on the floor and San Antonio could not match the production. (nba.com) The final score was 123-108, according to Basketball-Reference’s play-by-play page and the NBA game summary. That margin differed from some preliminary reports that had the game at 120-101, but the official game pages and multiple postgame reports listed a 15-point Oklahoma City win. ### Why was the Thunder bench the central number from Game 3? (apnews.com) Oklahoma City’s bench scored 76 points, a franchise playoff record, the Associated Press reported. NBC Sports also described the bench total as the decisive factor and said Jared McCain scored 24 points as part of that surge. NBC Sports reported that Oklahoma City’s bench had already outscored San Antonio’s bench by 66 points through the first two games of the series. (basketball-reference.com) In Game 3, that gap widened further as the Thunder used repeated lineup changes to keep pressure on the Spurs in the second half. AP attributed the shift to Daigneault’s early move to his reserves after the opening deficit. (apnews.com) ### What does the series score look like now? The series stands 2-1 in Oklahoma City’s favor after three games, according to the NBA game page and Basketball-Reference’s Western Conference finals listing. San Antonio won Game 1 in overtime before the Thunder evened the matchup in Game 2 and then took the lead on Friday night. ESPN and other game trackers described Game 3 as the first time either conference-final series had produced a team leading 2-1 on the floor this round. (nbcsports.com) That leaves San Antonio facing Game 4 at home on Sunday with a chance to avoid falling into a 3-1 deficit. ### What comes next on the playoff calendar? (nba.com) Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday in San Antonio, according to the NBA playoff schedule and game listings. The next milestone after the conference finals is the NBA Finals, which the league says will begin on Wednesday, June 3, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC. The official NBA Finals page lists Games 1 and 2 for June 3 and June 5, both on ABC. (espn.com) Oklahoma City and San Antonio still have at least one more game before either team can move within a win of that series berth. (nba.com)