Thunder rally – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied past a 15-0 deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 123-108 in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals on Friday, May 22. Oklahoma City took a 2-1 series lead heading into Game 4 as Victor Wembanyama’
By the time the Spurs stretched to a 15-0 lead in the first quarter, it felt like the Western Conference finals might run away from Oklahoma City early. Then Oklahoma City refused to fold.
In Game 3 on Friday, May 22, at the Frost Bank Center, the Thunder overcame San Antonio’s fast start and won 123-108. The road victory gave Oklahoma City a 2-1 lead as it heads into Game 4 of the series.
San Antonio’s first-quarter surge was its biggest lead of the game. and it set a tone that looked hard to unwind. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson later acknowledged the urgency—and the problem underneath it. “I thought we played very fast, but we knew it wasn’t sustainable,” Johnson said. “I thought we could’ve done a better job of crashing the glass.”.
Oklahoma City’s first real breakthrough came when Isaiah Hartenstein scored an 11-foot floating jumper with 8:06 left in the opening quarter, assisted by Luguentz Dort. From there, the Thunder tightened the game—then took control.
The comeback took shape over the final minutes of the second quarter. With 10:56 left in the second, Oklahoma City finally grabbed its first lead of the night. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered a 27-foot 3-pointer to put the Thunder in front, 32-31.
“We just wanted to compete,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We just have to compete and get back into it and give ourselves a chance.”
The bench wrote its own chapter
For all the drama in the early momentum swing, Oklahoma City’s reserves helped determine how the night ended. The Thunder’s bench scored 76 of the team’s 123 total points in Game 3. That 76-point output set a new franchise playoff record.
Jared McCain scored 24 points and added four rebounds in 27 minutes. Jaylin Williams chipped in 18 points and five rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench, going 5-for-7 from the field and converting 5-for-6 from 3-point range.
Gilgeous-Alexander pointed to the preparation behind it. “They do a great job of being ready,” he said on Peacock’s postgame show.
De’Aaron Fox returns as Spurs reset
San Antonio also had a fresh variable to manage. De’Aaron Fox returned to the Spurs’ starting lineup on Friday after missing the first two games of the series with an ankle sprain.
Fox finished the night shooting 7-of-14 from the field for 15 points. From long range, he went 1-for-6. He nearly completed a triple-double, recording seven rebounds and six assists to go with his scoring.
The series now moves back into Oklahoma City’s hands after a Game 3 that started with a Spurs surge and ended with the Thunder taking the lead—showing, minute by minute, how quickly a Western Conference finals can change when one team chooses to keep fighting instead of chasing the hole it dug.
Oklahoma City Thunder San Antonio Spurs Game 3 Western Conference finals Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Victor Wembanyama Mitch Johnson Isaiah Hartenstein Luguentz Dort Jared McCain Jaylin Williams De'Aaron Fox Frost Bank Center NBA playoffs