Thunder even series 1-1 vs Spurs

Oklahoma City tied the Western Conference finals at 1-1 on May 20 with a 122-113 win over San Antonio in Game 2, according to NBA.com and CBS Sports. The result followed the Spurs’ 122-115 double-overtime victory in Game 1 on May 18 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. NBA.com said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder in the Game 2 response, while the series has drawn attention for the matchup between Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren. The official NBA playoff schedule lists Game 3 for May 22 in San Antonio. ### How did Oklahoma City get back to even so quickly? NBA.com said Oklahoma City used pressure defense in Game 2 to “harass” San Antonio and blunt the momentum the Spurs built in the series opener. The official West finals page lists the final score as 122-113 and shows the series tied after two games in Oklahoma City. CBS Sports separately reported that the Thunder’s win evened the matchup at 1-1. (nba.com) May 20 became the pivot point in the series because San Antonio had opened with a road win two nights earlier. NBA.com’s video and series pages show the Spurs winning Game 1, 122-115, in double overtime to take a 1-0 lead before Oklahoma City answered in the second meeting. ### Which players are driving the matchup? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the named scoring leader in NBA.com’s Game 2 recap, which said he led Oklahoma City over San Antonio on Wednesday night. (nba.com) The league’s series page lists him as Oklahoma City’s leader through two games at 27.0 points and 10.5 assists per game. (nba.com) Victor Wembanyama has been the statistical center of San Antonio’s side of the series. NBA.com’s West finals page lists Wembanyama at 31.0 points, 20.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game through the first two contests, and says Oklahoma City limited him in Game 2 to “a really good game instead of a historic one.” Chet Holmgren has been part of the framing around the series from the start. (nba.com) CBS Sports, The Hollywood Reporter and Business Insider all highlighted the Wembanyama-Holmgren frontcourt matchup in their conference finals coverage, with Game 1 staged at Paycom Center on May 18. ### Why was Game 1 such a big setup for Game 2? (nba.com) May 18 set the tone with a double-overtime game that gave San Antonio home-court leverage without needing a home game. NBA.com’s playoff video page called the opener a 122-115 Spurs win, and its series page showed San Antonio leading 1-0 before Game 2 tipped. (cbssports.com) CBS Sports described the conference finals field as Thunder-Spurs in the West and Cavaliers-Knicks in the East, making the Oklahoma City response one of the first major shifts of the round. ESPN’s playoff coverage also lists the NBA Finals as beginning June 3 on ABC. ### Where does the series go from here? (nba.com) Game 3 is scheduled for Friday, May 22, in San Antonio, according to the official NBA West finals page. The same schedule lists Game 4 for May 24, with Games 5 through 7 set for May 26, May 28 and May 30 if needed. June 3 is the next league-wide milestone after the conference finals. ESPN and NBA.com both list that date as the start of the 2026 NBA Finals, with Oklahoma City and San Antonio now heading into Game 3 tied at one win each. (cbssports.com) (espn.com) (nba.com)