The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday night.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with a team-high 32 points, shooting 7-of-19 from the field and 16-of-17 from the free-throw line in another commanding performance.
It was his second game of the series with at least 30 points, further cementing his status as the series’ most dominant player.
Gilgeous-Alexander had been outplayed by Victor Wembanyama in a Game 1 thriller, but has responded emphatically in each game since that opening defeat.
With Jalen Williams hampered by a left hamstring strain and Ajay Mitchell sidelined by a right calf injury, the Thunder needed their back-to-back MVP to shoulder the load.
Gilgeous-Alexander delivered exactly that, helping his team retake control of the series heading into Game 6.
Jared McCain continued his strong postseason form with 20 points, hitting three triples and building on his 24-point outing from Game 3.
Isaiah Hartenstein was outstanding against Wembanyama, finishing with 12 points, 15 rebounds, and the second-best plus/minus on the team at plus-24.
Alex Caruso added 22 points on 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range, contributing to a 40-point performance from the Thunder bench as a whole.
The Spurs made efforts to keep the game competitive, but a 15-3 Thunder run early in the second quarter, capped by a three from Jaylin Williams, began to tilt the contest firmly in Oklahoma City’s favour.
San Antonio responded with a 9-0 run of their own, but the Thunder quickly answered with a 20-8 burst fuelled by Chet Holmgren, who finished with 12 points and six rebounds.
Those two scoring runs proved decisive in a game where the Thunder answered every Spurs challenge and ultimately put their opponents on the ropes.
Wembanyama, who was sensational in Game 1 with 41 points and 24 rebounds, struggled in Game 5, finishing with just 20 points on 4-of-15 shooting and six rebounds.
Even against a banged-up Thunder squad, that level of production was not going to be enough for the Spurs to mount a serious challenge in a pivotal game.
San Antonio also struggled badly from three-point range, shooting just 12-of-41, which equates to a deeply problematic 29 percent conversion rate.
By contrast, the Thunder shot 14-of-32 from beyond the arc, a 44 percent clip that gave them numerous comfortable looks throughout the contest.
This was also the third time in three Thunder wins during this series that Oklahoma City scored at least 120 points, a trend that bodes very poorly for San Antonio going forward.
The Thunder’s depth and their ability to produce scoring runs at crucial moments continues to prove just as important as the brilliance of their star player.
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