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SAN ANTONIO — The Oklahoma City Thunder’s bench outscored San Antonio’s reserves 76-23 Friday night as OKC pulled away for a 123-108 win over the Spurs at Frost Bank Center to take a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference Finals.
With Jalen Williams sidelined by a hamstring injury, the Thunder got a career-defining performance from reserve guard Jared McCain, who stepped into the starting lineup and delivered 24 points on 10-of-21 shooting, including a pair of threes. McCain was the catalyst of an OKC bench unit that dominated San Antonio throughout.
Jaylin Williams was equally impressive off the bench, shooting a scorching 5-of-6 from three — including 83.3% from deep — to finish with 18 points. Chet Holmgren added 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting. The three combined for 56 points and proved the Thunder’s depth is a major problem for San Antonio.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander controlled the game without dominating the box score, finishing with 26 points and 12 assists — his second double-double of the series — while making all 12 of his free throw attempts. Cason Wallace chipped in 11 points and three steals, and Alex Caruso added 15 with three threes.
OKC shot 48.1% from the field and 44.7% from three, generating 20 points off 15 San Antonio turnovers. The Thunder also dominated the glass with 52 rebounds to the Spurs’ 48.
For San Antonio, Victor Wembanyama led all scorers with 26 points on 8-of-15 shooting but was held to just four rebounds — well below his postseason average. Devin Vassell added 20 points and four steals. De’Aaron Fox returned from his ankle injury to contribute 15 points and six assists, while Dylan Harper — also playing through an injury — managed just six points on 2-of-7 shooting.
The Thunder outscored the Spurs 32-20 in the second quarter to take control and never looked back, building a lead as large as 18 points.
Game 4 is Sunday at 7 p.m. CDT at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on NBC. The series is now OKC 2, San Antonio 1.
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