The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 123-108 Friday night in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals to take a 2-1 series lead. Despite starting 15-points down, the Thunder pulled away for a 15-point win.
The Thunder bench combined to score 76 points in the win. Four players scored in double-digits from the second unit.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 26 points and 12 assists, continuing his MVP season. Jared McCain stole the show off the Thunder bench, scoring 24 points on 10-for-21 shooting.
Oklahoma City shot 44.7% from beyond the arc in the win.
Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 26 points on 8-for-15 shooting. Devin Vassell scored 20 points with four steals.
Here are three takeaways from the crucial Game 3 Thunder victory.
1. An Eventful 1st Quarter
To leave it bluntly, the Spurs blitzed the Thunder in the opening four minutes of the game. The home team opened on a 15-0 run, showing no mercy for the visitors.
It wasn’t until the 8:06 mark that a late-shot clock Isaiah Hartenstein floater removed the cap off of the Thunder’s basket. The Thunder would respond with a 15-4 run, mostly with Wembanyama off the floor, to make the game close once again.
Behind timely shots from Jaylin Williams and once again, Alex Caruso, OKC stormed right back into the contest. Gilgeous-Alexander did not score in the period, but his three assists were huge in the bounce back.
The Thunder trailed by just five points at the first break, despite the game looking like it was getting out of hand very quickly. In fact, the Thunder outscored the Spurs 58-36 in the first half after going down 15, entering the break with a seven-point advantage.
2. Winning by the Bench
Much like the first two games in the series, Oklahoma City dominated San Antonio in the bench points category. The Thunder scored 76 points off the bench in Game 3.
Without star Jalen Williams for the entire game and Ajay Mitchell for most of it, the Thunder needed every bit of it.
It was a total effort, with four players from OKC’s second unit tallying double figures in points, but McCain and Williams stole the show. Both players scored their playoff career high Friday night.
The Thunder’s trade deadline acquisition had a mission to put up every open look he saw in rhythm and succeeded. McCain tallied 24 points on 10-for-21 shooting while grabbing four rebounds; he was a plus-28.
The Arkansas alum Williams was crucial in the early parts of the game, scoring 14 points in the first half. He ended with 18 points and five rebounds on 5-for-6 shooting from 3-point range.
Caruso continued his sensational conference finals, scoring 15 points on three made triples, picking up two steals as well. Cason Wallace was once again instrumental in the win, scoring 11 points with four assists and three steals.
OKC’s bench was instrumental in the team swinging the series back in its favor.
3. Seeing Double
It wasn’t easy to find looks for the league’s back-to-back MVP, as it never is, but he still stepped up. Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 26 points and assisted on 12 made shots in the win.
He saw double teams all game long, but that did not prevent him from seeing a double-double on his box score. The Kentucky product was a perfect 12-for-12 from the stripe in the game.
Gilgeous-Alexander generated open looks for the Thunder all game long, continuing to bring immense impact without scoring his 30-point average.
In a crucial game without one of their best players, the Thunder needed their MVP to step up. He did once again.
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