Thunder win Game 3 to take 2-1 Western Conference finals lead over Spurs

Oklahoma City took control of the Western Conference finals again on Friday, beating San Antonio 123-108 in Game 3 at Frost Bank Center. The Thunder moved ahead 2-1 in the best-of-seven series after erasing an early 15-point deficit. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 26 points and 12 assists, and Oklahoma City’s bench delivered the biggest swing of the night. The NBA’s playoff schedule lists Game 4 for Sunday, May 24, in San Antonio. ### How did Oklahoma City flip a game it trailed by 15 points? San Antonio opened fast on Friday, building a 15-point lead in the first quarter before Oklahoma City settled into the game. The Thunder outscored the Spurs 39-28 in the second quarter and never let the game get away again. Reuters said Oklahoma City “overcame a sluggish start,” while NBA.com’s game summary listed the final margin at 15 points. (nba.com) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander steadied Oklahoma City’s offense with 26 points in 36 minutes, according to Sporting News, and added 12 assists, according to Reuters and other game accounts. The Thunder also forced 15 San Antonio turnovers and turned those into 20 points, according to the box score carried by Fox Sports. (gmanetwork.com) ### Which number from Game 3 mattered most? Oklahoma City’s bench scored 76 points, a franchise postseason record, according to Reuters and Sporting News. That total dwarfed San Antonio’s 23 bench points and became the clearest statistical separator in the game. NBA.com’s series page also described it as a “record-setting bench performance.” (sportingnews.com) The Sporting News report highlighted the bench outburst as the defining feature of the win, and Reuters said Oklahoma City “once again dominated with their bench.” That gave the Thunder production beyond Gilgeous-Alexander against a Spurs team that had taken Game 1 in double overtime and split the first two games on the road. (gmanetwork.com) ### What did San Antonio still get from its stars and starters? Victor Wembanyama scored 26 points for San Antonio, according to Sporting News and Reuters. Sporting News also said all five Spurs starters finished in double figures, which kept the game competitive into the second half even as Oklahoma City’s reserves widened the gap. (sportingnews.com) Fox Sports’ box score showed San Antonio shot 42.5% from the field and 31.7% from 3-point range, compared with Oklahoma City’s 48.1% overall and 44.7% from beyond the arc. The Spurs also lost the rebounding battle 41-37 and committed five more turnovers than the Thunder. (msn.com) ### What does the series score look like now? The Western Conference finals are now 2-1 in Oklahoma City’s favor. San Antonio won Game 1, 122-115 in double overtime, before the Thunder answered and then took Game 3 on the road, according to Yahoo’s series preview and NBA.com’s playoff page. (foxsports.com) NBA.com’s playoff bracket says the winner of the series will advance to the NBA Finals, which ESPN’s playoff hub lists as beginning on June 3 on ABC. In the other conference finals series, the New York Knicks lead the Cleveland Cavaliers 2-0, according to the latest supplied playoff coverage. ### When is Game 4 and where can readers track it? (sports.yahoo.com) Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday, May 24, at 8 p.m. ET in San Antonio, according to NBA.com’s playoff schedule. The league schedule lists NBC and Peacock as the broadcast outlets. The remaining if-necessary games are set for May 26, May 28 and May 30, according to the same NBA schedule page. (nba.com) Oklahoma City will enter Sunday with a 2-1 lead, and San Antonio will try to level the series on its home floor.