The Oklahoma City Thunder survived the San Antonio Spurs 122-113 in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals on Wednesday night.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took over the helm and scored 30 points, Alex Caruso added 17 off the bench, Chet Holmgren 13, while Jared McCain and Cason Wallace had 12 each for the Thunder.
Oklahoma City finished with a 57-25 edge in bench scoring, plus a 27-10 edge in points off turnovers.
On the other hand, Stephon Castle led the Spurs with 25 points, Devin Vassell added 22, and Victor Wembanyama tallied 21 points, 17 rebounds, six assists, and four blocks.
Meanwhile, the Thunder lost guard Jalen Williams who had already missed six games in these playoffs with a left hamstring strain, in the first half with a recurrence of the hamstring issue.
For San Antonio, De’Aaron Fox was still sidelined due to ankle soreness, as Dylan Harper was replaced in their starting lineup.
The Spurs were down by 11 at the half and trailed by eight going into the fourth quarter, then pulled within 99-97 off a corner 3-pointer by Harrison Barnes with 9:06 left.
Despite San Antonio’s surge, Oklahoma City answered with an 11-0 run, including a banked-in triple by McCain midway through the burst to push their lead to 13.
Wembanyama tried to rally to make 118-113 with 1:25 remaining, but the reigning MVP remained composed to hit the last basket.
Game 3 is Friday in San Antonio.
