Thunder bench scores 76 points in Game 3 win over Spurs

Oklahoma City’s 123-108 win over San Antonio on Friday turned on a number that usually sits in the background of playoff games: 76 bench points. The Thunder erased a 15-0 opening deficit in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals and left San Antonio with a 2-1 series lead. ESPN reported the 76 points from reserves were the most by any team in a conference finals or NBA Finals game since starters were first tracked in 1971. NBA.com also highlighted the bench total as the most in a conference finals game in more than 50 years. ### How unusual was 76 bench points in a game this deep in the playoffs? ESPN’s postgame report put the number in historical terms: no team in a conference finals or NBA Finals game had gotten more bench points since 1971. That matters because late-round playoff rotations usually shorten, with coaches leaning harder on starters and top-end shot creators. (msn.com) NBA.com framed the same performance as the most bench points in a conference finals game in over 50 years. The Thunder got there even though their starters produced only 47 points, meaning the second unit did more than cover a quiet night from much of the opening group. ### What changed after San Antonio’s 15-0 start? (msn.com) San Antonio opened Game 3 by scoring the first 15 points at Frost Bank Center. ESPN reported Thunder coach Mark Daigneault went to his bench less than three minutes into the game, and Oklahoma City’s reserves changed the pace and scoring balance from there. (nba.com) The final margin was 15 points, 123-108, after Oklahoma City recovered from the same 15-point hole it faced almost immediately. Basketball-Reference’s game log confirms the result and date, May 22, and shows the Thunder turning the game after that early burst from San Antonio. ### Who supplied the scoring for Oklahoma City? (msn.com) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 26 points for Oklahoma City, according to game coverage from The Oklahoman and NBA.com. Chet Holmgren added 14, but the larger story was the reserve group, which outscored the Spurs’ bench by a wide margin. (basketball-reference.com) The Thunder bench outscored San Antonio’s bench 76-23, according to the ESPN report cited in multiple follow-up accounts. That gap let Oklahoma City absorb modest scoring from several starters and still control the game by the second half. ### Why does the bench number matter beyond one box score? (oklahoman.com) Playoff games this late are often decided by stars, but Friday’s result showed Oklahoma City winning through depth. NBA.com’s roundup paired Gilgeous-Alexander’s 26 points with what it called the most bench points in a conference finals game in more than half a century, underscoring that the Thunder’s edge came from lineup breadth as much as from their lead scorer. (msn.com) The historical marker also gives the game a place beyond the series score. ESPN said no team had reached that reserve total in a conference finals or NBA Finals game since 1971, putting Oklahoma City’s second unit in a category that spans the modern tracked era of playoff lineups. (nba.com) ### What is next in the series? The Thunder now lead the Western Conference finals 2-1 after the May 22 result in San Antonio. The next game is Game 4 on Monday, with the series remaining at the Spurs’ home floor before shifting again if needed. (msn.com) NBA schedule listings for the playoff window show Oklahoma City and San Antonio continuing the series on Monday. That game will determine whether the Thunder can push the matchup to 3-1 or whether the Spurs can send it back level at two games apiece. (nba.com) (oklahoman.com)