Thunder go up 2-1 in Western Conference finals after Game 3 win over Spurs

Oklahoma City left San Antonio with control of the Western Conference finals after a 123-108 win in Game 3 on May 23. The Thunder trailed by 15 in the first quarter, then flipped the game with a second-unit surge that San Antonio never matched. The result gave Oklahoma City a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. NBA.com’s series page listed Game 4 for Sunday night in San Antonio. (warriorswire.usatoday.com) ### How did Oklahoma City take over after the early deficit? (msn.com) San Antonio built a 15-point first-quarter lead before Oklahoma City steadied the game and went in front before halftime. USA Today’s game report said the Thunder carried a nine-point lead into the second half and kept the margin between seven and 15 points for much of the final two quarters. (nba.com) NBC Sports said Oklahoma City “soon took control” after the rough opening stretch. The 123-108 final also reflected a cleaner close from Oklahoma City. Sporting News’ live report showed the Thunder leading 111-101 with 3:31 left and 118-103 with 1:30 remaining, putting the game out of reach. (warriorswire.usatoday.com) ### Why was the bench the defining part of this game? Oklahoma City’s reserves scored 76 points, the highest bench-scoring total in a playoff game since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City in 2008-09, according to ESPN Research cited by MSN. Sporting News called it the most in franchise history, and NBA.com described the performance as record-setting. (warriorswire.usatoday.com) Jared McCain led that group with 24 points, while Alex Caruso added 15 and posted a plus-28, according to Sporting News’ box-score recap. NBC Sports said the Thunder’s “constant flow of fresh legs” was something San Antonio could not match. ### What did Oklahoma City get from its stars? (sportingnews.com) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 26 points and 12 assists in what USA Today called a rallying road win. NBA.com’s series page listed him as Oklahoma City’s leading scorer in the matchup overall at 26.7 points per game through three games. (msn.com) The Thunder also got support while managing injuries. Sporting News’ recap said Jaylin Williams provided a lift in Jalen Williams’ absence, giving Oklahoma City another scoring option beyond Gilgeous-Alexander and the bench unit. NBA.com had previously noted that Jalen Williams exited Game 2 with a hamstring issue. (sports.yahoo.com) ### What went wrong for San Antonio? Victor Wembanyama remained San Antonio’s central figure, and NBA.com listed him as the Spurs’ series leader at 29.3 points and 15.0 rebounds per game through three contests. But NBC Sports said San Antonio could not keep up once Oklahoma City’s bench began to pile up points and the Thunder stretched the game in the fourth quarter. (warriorswire.usatoday.com) The series context makes the swing sharper. Basketball-Reference showed San Antonio won Game 1 in double overtime before Oklahoma City answered in Game 2 and then took Game 3 on the road. ### What does the series look like now? Oklahoma City now leads 2-1, with the next game still in San Antonio. (sports.yahoo.com) NBA.com’s playoff page listed Game 4 for Sunday, May 24, at 8 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBC, followed by Game 5 on May 26 in Oklahoma City if the schedule holds. The Western Conference finals page on Basketball-Reference and the NBA’s official bracket both showed the same position late May 23: Thunder ahead of Spurs, two games to one. (nba.com) (basketball-reference.com)