In Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, the Thunder defeated the Spurs 123-108, taking a 2-1 series lead.
• Download the NBA app
San Antonio — The San Antonio Spurs cut Oklahoma City’s lead from 15 points to nine points in the fourth quarter, but Thunder coach Mark Denault called a timeout.
In the huddle, Daigneault wanted his team to calm down and attack better on the next possession. After Jared McCain responded with an 11-foot jumper and the Spurs missed, Jaylin Williams completed a four-point play with 5:57 left to push the lead back to 15 points and move the Thunder even closer to a playoff road win.
Oklahoma City defeated San Antonio 123-108 in Game 3 on Friday to finish the job with a 2-1 series lead.
Just as Game 2 was different from Game 1, Game 3 was different from Game 2, but themes emerged: The Thunder’s depth is having a huge impact on the series, MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a better passer, and the Thunder aren’t panicking even when trailing by double digits.
“Credit to them, they were ready to play and got us early,” Thunder coach Mark Dynaud said. “I thought we showed great composure and understood the nature of the game for 48 minutes.”
Game 4 will be played Sunday in San Antonio (8 ET, NBC/Peacock).
Here are the takeaways from another Thunder win.
1. Another J. Williams, McCain leads the Thunder bench.
The Thunder’s starters scored just 47 points, with Lou Dort scoring zero and Ajay Mitchell scoring two. For most teams, that would be a problem. That wasn’t the case in Game 3, as the Thunder’s reserves outscored the Spurs’ reserves 76-23.
McCain, acquired by the Thunder from Philadelphia at the trade deadline in February, scored a playoff career-high 24 points, including 16 in the second half, two of which came on a clever layup as 7-4 Wenbang Yama tried to block a shot.
Jaylin Williams scored 14 of his playoff career-high 18 points in the first half and added five rebounds. Kayson Wallace, who was named to the KIA NBA All-Defensive Second Team shortly before the game, had 11 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals, and Alex Caruso had 15 points, three rebounds, two steals, and one block.
Jared McCain (22 points) and Jaylin Williams (18 points) both set playoff career highs, and the Thunder bench led the team to victory.
In this series, the Thunder bench outscored the Spurs bench 183-64.
“We’re just trying to look at things through the lens of our strengths,” Daigneault said. “We don’t look at anything relative to the opponent. The last thing we want to do is assume that the opponent has a weakness that the opponent doesn’t have. We always assume the opponent is the best, and we need to be ours, and depth is part of that. But it’s not relative to San Antonio. It just needs to be one of our strengths that we rely on regardless of the situation.”
The Thunder’s substitutes also stabilized the game, allowing the Spurs to extend their lead to 15-0.
“We’re just going to go out there and play our brand of basketball no matter who’s in there,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
2. Gilgeous-Alexander is good even though he doesn’t shoot well.
MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did not score in the first quarter. However, he began to impact the game with his passing, scoring 26 points on 6-of-17 shooting and dishing out 12 assists. He also made 12 of 12 free throws.
The Spurs tried to force the basketball out of Gilgeous-Alexander’s hands.
“They’re crazy about the ball, they’re aggressive, they’re putting pressure on,” he said. “They’re gap-heavy, especially when I have them. And sometimes they send double teams — and that’s reckless too. Before half court, after half court, they just send randomly. Every time I go down, there’s a play that I have to make, whether it’s for myself or for my teammates. And I just try to do that to the best of my ability.”
He has 33 assists and seven turnovers in this series.
“What’s working for him, what’s not working for him, he’s just running the team,” Jaylin Williams said. “A lot of players in that situation do whatever they can to score points and take shots, but he’s doing the right thing.”
3. Injuries continue to weigh on the series.
Jaylen Williams reinjured his left hamstring in the second quarter of Game 2, and the Thunder ruled him out of Game 3. Williams also missed the final two games of the first round against the Phoenix Suns and all four games against the Los Angeles Lakers in the conference semifinals with a hamstring strain. The Thunder made up for his absence with depth.
De’Aaron Fox returned to the Spurs’ starting lineup after spraining his right ankle against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He had 15 points, seven assists and six rebounds, with four turnovers, but his presence helped the Spurs cut down on turnovers after 44 in the first two games. In Game 3, there were only 15 hits.
There were times when Fox supported his right ankle, including when he left the game due to pain. San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson indicated that Fox would make a decision during the game for the rest of the playoffs.
Spurs reserve player Dylan Harper (right adductor strain) also played after being injured in the third quarter of the second game and scored six points.
4. Thunder looking for ways to limit Wenbanyama
Daigneault and the Thunder players have expressed many times how difficult it is to protect Wembaneyama. Oklahoma City has been successful in mitigating his impact game after game since his historic performance of 41 points and 24 rebounds in Game 1.
Wenbanyama scored 26 points on 8-of-15 field goals and 8-of-10 free throws, but after scoring 26 paint points in Game 1, he scored just 10 points in the paint for the second straight game. He had just four rebounds and zero offensive boards.
The Thunder used a variety of defenders in Wembaneyama, including 7-foot, 268-pound Isaiah Hartenstein and 6-foot, 10,241-pound Jaylin Williams.
“I know I can’t play as many minutes as he does, so I try to make his job as tough as I can while I’m in the game,” Williams said. “It’s fun to be outside and move around and do things like that.”
* * *
Jeff Gilgit has been covering the NBA since 2008. Email him at jzillgitt@nba.com, find his archives here and follow him at X.
#takeaways #Thunder #bench #acquires #Shai #GilgeousAlexander #lead #OKC #Game #victory