Oklahoma City Thunder 2-1 lead

Oklahoma City Thunder took a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference finals with a 123-108 road win over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, May 22, at Frost Bank Center. The result gave Oklahoma City back control of the series after three games, with Game 4 set for Sunday in San Antonio. (nba.com) NBA.com listed the final as 123-108 and the series score as Thunder 2, Spurs 1. The most revealing detail from Game 3 was not only the margin but where the scoring came from. (nba.com) NBA.com said Oklahoma City set a franchise playoff record with 76 bench points, led by Jared McCain’s 24 and Jaylin Williams’ playoff career-high 18. (nba.com) That second-unit production helped offset an otherwise ordinary scoring night by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander relative to his postseason standards. ### How did Oklahoma City win a road game by 15? Oklahoma City shot 48.1% from the field and 44.7% from 3-point range in Game 3, according to the official box score. (nba.com) San Antonio shot 42.5% overall and 31.7% from deep, a gap that widened as Oklahoma City’s bench kept adding points across the second half. The Thunder also got balanced production beyond the bench. Victor Wembanyama led San Antonio with 26 points, while Devin Vassell added 20 and De’Aaron Fox had 15 in his Western Conference finals debut after missing Games 1 and 2, NBA.com said. Oklahoma City, by contrast, had multiple contributors in double figures and finished with 29 assists. (nba.com) ### Why does the bench number matter so much here? NBA.com said Oklahoma City’s reserves outscored San Antonio’s bench 76-23 in Game 3. Through three games, the league’s live recap said, the Thunder second unit held a plus-119 scoring differential over the Spurs. (nba.com) Jared McCain’s 24 points were especially notable because NBA.com said he joined James Harden as the only Thunder players to score 20 or more points off the bench in a postseason game before turning 23. Jaylin Williams added five 3-pointers in 18 points, giving Oklahoma City another source of spacing and shot-making. (nba.com) ### What about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 26 points and 12 assists, according to NBA.com’s live recap and box score. He remained the Thunder’s series leader at 26.7 points and 11.0 assists per game through three contests. (nba.com) Victor Wembanyama scored 26 points on 8-for-15 shooting in Game 3 and entered the series lead for San Antonio at 29.3 points and 15.0 rebounds per game, NBA.com said. His efficiency was strong Friday, but San Antonio did not get enough support from its perimeter shooting or bench scoring to keep pace. (nba.com) ### Who was available, and who was not? Jalen Williams missed Game 3 with a hamstring injury, his seventh full postseason absence, according to NBA.com’s live blog. San Antonio, meanwhile, had De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper available after both had been listed as questionable entering the game. (nba.com) Fox returned with 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 31 minutes, NBA.com said. That gave San Antonio another ballhandler, but it did not solve the Spurs’ broader scoring imbalance once Oklahoma City’s bench took over. (nba.com) ### What changes before Game 4? Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday, May 24, at 8 p.m. ET in San Antonio, according to NBA.com’s series page. ESPN’s playoff schedule also lists the conference finals as ongoing with the NBA Finals set to begin June 3. (nba.com) The immediate facts are straightforward: Oklahoma City leads the series 2-1, San Antonio remains home for the next game, and the Thunder have already shown they can win in that building. If the Spurs are to even the series, Game 4 will come two days after a night in which their bench was outscored by 53 points. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) (nba.com 3)