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

Oklahoma City moved ahead in the Western Conference finals on Friday night by doing something the Spurs had not seen through the first two games: getting overwhelmed by the Thunder’s second unit. The Thunder beat San Antonio 123-108 at Frost Bank Center on May 22, taking a 2-1 series lead after falling behind 15-0 at the start. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 26 points and 12 assists, while Jared McCain and Jaylin Williams gave Oklahoma City a scoring lift with playoff career highs. NBA.com said the Thunder’s bench outscored San Antonio’s 76-23 in Game 3. ### How did Oklahoma City flip a game that started 15-0 for San Antonio? San Antonio opened with the longest run to start a conference finals game since the play-by-play era began in 1997, according to the Associated Press game recap published on NBA.com. De’Aaron Fox, playing his first game of the series after returning from a sprained right ankle, helped trigger that burst, and Victor Wembanyama added early scoring as the Spurs fed off the home crowd. (nba.com) Oklahoma City answered by stabilizing the game through its bench and playmaking. Gilgeous-Alexander said the Thunder focused on competing possession by possession after the poor start. “We just went out there and competed,” he said, according to the AP recap on NBA.com. ### Which Thunder reserves changed the game most? Jared McCain scored 24 points and Jaylin Williams added 18, both playoff career highs, in the Game 3 win, NBA.com said. (nba.com) Alex Caruso scored 15 points and Cason Wallace added 11 as Oklahoma City’s reserves kept scoring while Jalen Williams sat out with left hamstring soreness. NBA.com described the performance as a franchise playoff record for bench points, listing 76 points from Oklahoma City’s reserves. Through three games, the site said, the Thunder bench has built a plus-119 scoring differential over San Antonio’s second unit. ### What did San Antonio get from its returning players? (nba.com) De’Aaron Fox had 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 31 minutes after missing Games 1 and 2, NBA.com said. Dylan Harper, who had been listed with right adductor soreness, was also available after both players were cleared shortly before tipoff. Victor Wembanyama scored 24 points and Devin Vassell added 20, but San Antonio’s offense did not keep pace once Oklahoma City settled in. (nba.com) The Spurs won Game 1 in double overtime before dropping the next two games. ### How much did Jalen Williams’ absence matter? Jalen Williams missed Game 3 with left hamstring soreness, leaving Oklahoma City without one of its primary scorers and creators. (nba.com) NBA.com said it was his seventh full postseason absence. The Thunder compensated by spreading the scoring load across the bench and leaning on Gilgeous-Alexander’s 12 assists. Mark Daigneault’s team also got enough control elsewhere to offset the early hole. NBA.com’s series page lists Oklahoma City averaging 120.0 points through three games, compared with 114.3 for San Antonio. ### What does the series schedule look like now? NBA.com lists Game 4 for Sunday, May 24, in San Antonio, with Oklahoma City leading the series 2-1. (nba.com) The same series page lists Game 5 for May 26 in Oklahoma City, with Games 6 and 7 scheduled for May 28 and May 30 if necessary. The next game is set for 8 p.m. ET on May 24 at Frost Bank Center, according to NBA.com’s playoff schedule page. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2)