Thunder Edge Spurs to Near NBA Finals Repeat
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander overcame a slow start to score 32 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 127-114, moving within one victory of reaching the NBA Finals for a second consecutive year.
Gilgeous-Alexander missed his first four shots in game five of the Western Conference finals held in Oklahoma City but responded by scoring five consecutive points, helping the Thunder erase an early eight-point deficit.
The home team carried an 11-point lead into halftime and extended their advantage by scoring the first nine points of the third quarter, ultimately pulling away to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
The two-time MVP made seven of 19 field goal attempts but was highly efficient from the free-throw line, converting 16 of 17 attempts.
"If it was four or five of me out there, we would've been down 20 after the first quarter," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "[I] probably should never start like that again."
Jared McCain replaced Cason Wallace in the lineup and, after a challenging start, scored 18 points in the second half to finish with 20 points overall.
Alex Caruso rebounded from a scoreless performance in game four by contributing 22 points for the Thunder.
San Antonio's star Victor Wembanyama recorded 20 points and six rebounds. However, after averaging 20.5 rebounds per game in the first two games of the series, Wembanyama has totaled only 18 rebounds across the last three games.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson emphasized the need for Wembanyama to increase his offensive output if San Antonio hopes to reverse the series momentum.
"He's going to have to take more than 15 shots even with the free throws," Johnson stated. "He's going to have to score more than 20 points for sure."
Stephon Castle led the Spurs with 24 points, while Julian Champagnie added 22 points.
Oklahoma City has the opportunity to clinch their place in the NBA Finals with a victory in game six, scheduled to take place in San Antonio on Thursday evening (01:30 BST on Friday).
Meanwhile, the New York Knicks have already secured their spot in the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 in the Eastern Conference finals.
