Oklahoma—Oklahoma City Thunder moved within one victory of returning to the NBA Finals after defeating the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 Tuesday night in a pivotal Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.
Led once again by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City bounced back in impressive fashion after a disappointing Game 4 loss, reclaiming control of the series with a dominant offensive performance.
Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 32 points while veteran guard Alex Caruso provided a massive lift off the bench with 22 points in one of his strongest postseason performances. Rookie Jared McCain, making his first playoff start with Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell sidelined, added 20 points and played with confidence throughout the night.
The Thunder offense looked completely different from the unit that struggled two nights earlier in San Antonio. Oklahoma City scored 82 points before the third quarter was even halfway complete after managing only 82 total points in the previous game.
Chet Holmgren continued to impact both ends of the floor with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Isaiah Hartenstein controlled the paint with a 12-point, 15-rebound effort.
The Thunder seized momentum during a high-scoring second quarter, exploding for 40 points to take command of the game. Their aggressive pace and ball movement consistently put pressure on San Antonio’s defense, allowing Oklahoma City to build a comfortable lead entering the second half.
San Antonio attempted to rally late in the third quarter after trimming a 20-point deficit down to single digits, but frustration mounted following a pair of controversial officiating moments.
A tip-in attempt by Luke Kornet appeared to be illegally touched off the rim by Oklahoma City’s Cason Wallace, but no goaltending call was made. Moments later, replay showed the ball went out of bounds off Holmgren, though possession was awarded to the Thunder. Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson argued the sequence and was hit with a technical foul after officials ignored his attempt to challenge the call.
Despite the controversy, Oklahoma City maintained control and carried a 101-91 lead into the fourth quarter before comfortably closing out the victory.
San Antonio struggled offensively for much of the night, particularly from beyond the arc where the Spurs missed 29 of their 41 three-point attempts.
Stephon Castle led the Spurs with 24 points, while Julian Champagnie added 22. Victor Wembanyama finished with 20 points but endured a difficult shooting night, connecting on just 4-of-15 attempts from the field.
Keldon Johnson chipped in 15 points off the bench for San Antonio, but the Spurs never fully recovered after Oklahoma City’s explosive second quarter.
One unusual aspect of the game came at the free-throw line. Nearly 10 minutes passed before the first foul shots were attempted, but once whistles started blowing, both teams repeatedly marched to the line. Combined, the teams made 29 free throws in the second quarter alone, marking one of the highest second-quarter totals in recent playoff history.
Now holding a 3-2 series lead, the Thunder will head to San Antonio for Game 6 with an opportunity to clinch their first NBA Finals appearance since 2012.
Awaiting the Western Conference champion are the New York Knicks, who have already secured their spot in the NBA Finals beginning June 3.
