Thunder take 2-1 series lead after Game 3 win over Spurs

Oklahoma City took a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference finals on Friday with a 123-108 road win over San Antonio, powered by a bench performance that set a franchise playoff record. Sporting News’ live recap and the NBA’s playoff page both listed the Thunder’s reserves for 76 points, the most by the club’s bench in a postseason game. The result pushed the series back in Oklahoma City’s favor after it had been tied 1-1 through two games. Basketball-Reference’s conference-finals page shows the Thunder and Spurs matched in the West finals and lists Oklahoma City ahead 2-1 entering Game 4. ### How did Oklahoma City separate in Game 3? (sportingnews.com) Oklahoma City won the game in the fourth quarter after a back-and-forth first three periods gave way to a double-digit finish. Sporting News’ play-by-play showed the Thunder leading 111-101 with 3:31 left and extending the margin to 118-103 with 1:30 remaining. (basketball-reference.com) The Thunder’s second unit was the clearest difference. NBC Sports reported Oklahoma City’s bench had already outscored San Antonio’s bench by 66 points over the first two games, then added 76 more in Game 3 as the Spurs failed to match the “constant flow of fresh legs.” (sportingnews.com) ### Which players drove the scoring? Jared McCain scored 24 points off the bench for Oklahoma City, according to NBC Sports, in the biggest reserve contribution cited across the Game 3 recaps. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 26 points, USA Today’s Warriors Wire reported, as Oklahoma City recovered from an early deficit and closed the game with its starters and bench both contributing. (nbcsports.com) Victor Wembanyama finished with 19 points in 29 minutes, Yahoo Sports’ live report said, after carrying a heavy workload in the first two games of the series. Yahoo noted he had logged 86 combined minutes in Games 1 and 2, the most in any two-game stretch of his career. (nbcsports.com) ### Why did the bench number stand out so much? The 76 bench points were described by Sporting News as the most in franchise history. The NBA’s official playoff page also highlighted the “record-setting bench performance” as the central feature of the win. (sports.yahoo.com) That production gave Oklahoma City a different shape than it had earlier in the series. NBC Sports said the Thunder bench had outscored San Antonio’s reserves 55-16 at one stage of Game 3, turning a rotation advantage into the game’s defining statistic. ### Where does the series stand now? (sportingnews.com) The Western Conference finals now have Oklahoma City in front, 2-1, with San Antonio back under pressure at home. CBS Sports’ updated playoff bracket said the defending champion Thunder are two wins from another NBA Finals berth after the Game 3 victory. ESPN’s playoff schedule page says the 2026 NBA Finals are set to begin on June 3 on ABC. (nbcsports.com) That leaves at least one more game in San Antonio before the series shifts again. ### When is Game 4? Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday in San Antonio, according to Basketball-Reference’s series page and multiple playoff schedule listings. (cbssports.com) The Thunder will try to take a 3-1 lead, while the Spurs will try to even the series before it moves on. (basketball-reference.com) (espn.com)