Thunder bench erupts for 76 as OKC takes 2-1 series lead with 123-108 Game 3 win

Oklahoma City took back home-court control on Friday, May 22, with a 123-108 win over San Antonio in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals. The Thunder trailed 15-0 less than three minutes into the night at Frost Bank Center, then turned the game with a second unit that overwhelmed the Spurs’ reserves. NBA.com said Oklahoma City’s bench outscored San Antonio’s 76-23, and the league’s playoff page lists the Thunder ahead 2-1 in the series. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 26 points, while Oklahoma City got 24 from Jared McCain, 18 from Jaylin Williams and 15 from Alex Caruso off the bench, according to NBA.com’s game summary. The Thunder played without Jalen Williams, who sat with left hamstring soreness, making the production from the second unit more central to the result. (nba.com) ### How did the game flip after San Antonio’s 15-0 start? San Antonio opened with a 15-0 burst before Mark Daigneault went to his bench, and that move changed the game’s rhythm. The Associated Press account distributed by the Washington Post said Oklahoma City coach Daigneault turned to the second unit before the three-minute mark, and the Thunder stabilized from there. (nba.com) Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters, “We just went out there and competed,” after Oklahoma City recovered from the early hole. NBA.com’s recap quoted him saying the Thunder wanted to “make sure we competed from that point on” after San Antonio fed off its home crowd at the start. ### Why was the bench number so unusual? (washingtonpost.com) The 76 bench points were the most by a team in a conference finals game since 1984, according to the Associated Press recap carried by the Washington Post and SeattlePI. NBA.com’s “Starting 5” roundup also described it as the most bench points in a conference finals game in more than 50 years. (nba.com) Four Oklahoma City reserves reached double figures, and that depth covered for a night when three Thunder starters combined for only seven points, the AP recap said. San Antonio’s bench, by contrast, produced 23 points. ### Who carried Oklahoma City beyond Gilgeous-Alexander? (washingtonpost.com) Jared McCain scored 24 points and Jaylin Williams added 18 for Oklahoma City, giving the Thunder a second and third scoring wave behind Gilgeous-Alexander’s 26. Alex Caruso chipped in 15, and NBA.com listed the bench margin as the clearest statistical separation in the game. (seattlepi.com) Mark Daigneault’s rotation choice also mattered because Jalen Williams did not play. Without one of their regular starters, the Thunder got enough offense from reserves to absorb the absence and still win by 15 on the road. ### What did San Antonio get, and where did it fall short? Victor Wembanyama scored 26 points for San Antonio, and all five Spurs starters finished in double figures, according to game recaps from NBA.com and The Sporting News. (nba.com) But Oklahoma City’s edge in non-starter scoring erased that balance. San Antonio’s position changed quickly after the opening surge. (nba.com) The Spurs entered the night with the series tied 1-1 and left trailing 2-1, with Wembanyama telling reporters afterward, “we’re going to see what we’re made of” in the next game, according to the Washington Post. ### When is the next game, and what is at stake? Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday, May 24, at 8 p.m. ET in San Antonio, according to the NBA playoff bracket. The same league schedule lists Game 5 for Tuesday, May 26, in Oklahoma City if the series continues on its current calendar, and the NBA Finals are set to begin June 3. (nba.com) (washingtonpost.com)