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SAN ANTONIO — The Oklahoma City Thunder have a chance to close out the Western Conference Finals Thursday when they visit the San Antonio Spurs for Game 6 at Frost Bank Center. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m. on NBC. OKC leads the series 3-2.
The Thunder bounced back from Sunday’s blowout loss with a dominant 127-114 win in Game 5 Tuesday night in Oklahoma City. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points and Alex Caruso added 22 as OKC’s bench outscored San Antonio’s reserves 40-33. Jared McCain, who had gone 1-of-10 in Game 4, bounced back with 20 points.
San Antonio won’t go quietly. The Spurs are 4-1 on the road this postseason and are a slight 59.9 percent favorite on their home floor. Victor Wembanyama has been the best player in this series overall — he put up 41 points and 24 rebounds in the double-overtime Game 1 classic and dominated Game 4 with 33 points in an easy Spurs win.
What to watch
OKC’s turnovers have been the deciding factor in this series. The Thunder committed 20 turnovers in the Game 4 blowout and only 17 in the Game 5 win. San Antonio has turned those miscues into 27 points per game — protecting the ball Thursday is critical for a Thunder closeout.
Wembanyama vs. Chet Holmgren remains the matchup of the series. Holmgren has been inconsistent but had 16 points and 11 rebounds in Game 5. If he can contain Wembanyama on the defensive end OKC has the depth to win on the road.
De’Aaron Fox has been hot and cold — 15 points in Game 4, just nine in Game 5. The Spurs need him to be consistent Thursday alongside Wembanyama.
Series at a glance
- Game 1 — San Antonio 122, OKC 115 (2OT)
- Game 2 — OKC 122, San Antonio 113
- Game 3 — OKC 123, San Antonio 108
- Game 4 — San Antonio 103, OKC 82
- Game 5 — OKC 127, San Antonio 114
- Game 6 — Thursday, 7:30 p.m., San Antonio (NBC)
If San Antonio wins Thursday, Game 7 would be Sunday in Oklahoma City. Tip-off time and television information for a potential Game 7 have not yet been announced. The New York Knicks are waiting in the NBA Finals.
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