Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder managed to get the best of Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, securing a 123-108 victory at the Frost Bank Center on Friday, May 22.
As a result of the road win, the Thunder will take a 2-1 lead into Game 4 of the series.
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The Thunder managed to overcome a fast start by the Spurs, who took a 15-0 lead in the first quarter. It was San Antonio’s largest lead of the game.
“I thought we played very fast, but we knew it wasn’t sustainable,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “I thought we could’ve done a better job of crashing the glass.”
Isaiah Hartenstein managed to get the Thunder on the scoreboard with an 11-foot floating jumper, off an assist from Luguentz Dort, with 8:06 left in the opening quarter.
The Thunder managed to close the gap, taking the lead for the first time with 10:56 left in the second quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander made a 27-foot 3-pointer to take the 32-31 lead.
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“We just wanted to compete,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We just have to compete and get back into it and give ourselves a chance.”
Thunder bench sets franchise record
The Thunder’s reserves played a key role in the Game 3 win, scoring 76 of the team’s 123 total points.
The 76 points off the bench set a new franchise playoff record.
Jared McCain produced 24 points and four rebounds in 27 minutes of play.
“They do a great job of being ready,” Gilgeous-Alexander said on Peacock’s postgame show.
Jaylin Williams added 18 points and five rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench. He went 5-for-7 from the field, including 5-for-6 from the 3-point line.
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De’Aaron Fox returns for Spurs
De’Aaron Fox made his return to the starting lineup on Friday for the Spurs. He had missed the first two games of the series with an ankle sprain. He shot 7-of-14 from the field for 15 points. He was 1-for-6 from long range. Fox flirted with a potential triple-double, finishing the game with seven rebounds and six assists.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Thunder vs Spurs Game 3 takeaways: How OKC rallied after slow start
