The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 in Game 5, moving to within one win of reaching the NBA Finals.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 32 points, making 16 of his 17 free throw attempts and distributing nine assists throughout the contest.

Alex Caruso contributed 22 points for the Thunder, providing a significant secondary scoring punch alongside the team’s star player.

Trade deadline acquisition Jared McCain added 20 points off his own account, marking his second 20-point game of the Western Conference Finals.

McCain, 22 years old, shot 7-for-19 from the field but knocked down three three-pointers during what was his first playoff start.

The performance came with Oklahoma City missing both Jaylen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, making the contributions from Caruso and McCain all the more important.

The series now returns to San Antonio, where the Spurs will look to avoid elimination on their home court in Game 6.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s 28.8 points-per-game average in his Western Conference Finals career places him sixth among players with at least 10 games played in that round.

The all-time Conference Finals scoring average list is led by Rick Barry at 36.3 points per game, ahead of Michael Jordan’s 33.6 and Jerry West’s 30.5.

Kevin Durant sits fourth on the all-time list with a 30.3 average, while LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal each average 28.4 and 28.8 points per game respectively.

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