Thunder one – Oklahoma City cut through San Antonio in Game 5, winning 127-114 to take a 3-2 lead and move one victory from another NBA Finals appearance. The Thunder frustrated Victor Wembanyama into 20 points on 4-of-15 shooting, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led with 32
The Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t just win Game 5. They survived the moments when San Antonio looked like it might flip the script—and then forced the Spurs to live in a plan that never fully caught fire.
On Tuesday. May 26. OKC overwhelmed the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. taking a 3-2 lead in the series. With one more win. the Thunder move within reach of another trip to the NBA Finals. while the Spurs face the same uncomfortable task: find a way to make Victor Wembanyama harder to contain.
The unevenness of the game didn’t hide the essentials. Oklahoma City’s offense wasn’t flawless, and the Thunder didn’t get a “perfect” version of themselves. Still. they adjusted to San Antonio’s approach to Wembanyama—and the result was unmistakable: Wembanyama finished with 20 points on 4-of-15 shooting.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 32 points. Oklahoma City also got production from across the roster, with three different players scoring at least 20.
Wembanyama has to change the way he attacks
San Antonio’s season may be on the line, but the game plan was clear: the Spurs need Wembanyama to become more assertive and to work inside more often.
In Game 5, Wembanyama took just 9 shots in the paint, making four of them. The Spurs have been at their best in this series when his presence in the paint opens up the rest of San Antonio’s offense. Oklahoma City’s physicality—especially the way it adjusted on him—helped limit his impact. and for much of the night his response leaned toward avoiding the low block.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson was blunt when asked if there was more San Antonio could do to get Wembanyama going.
“We’re going to need to,” Johnson said. “He’s got to take more than 15 shots, even with the free throws. Yeah, he’s going to have to score more than 20 points, for sure.”
Johnson’s comments echo what was visible after the Spurs began to lose rhythm. When Wembanyama settled, it seemed like the rest of the roster settled too. The Spurs lacked juice for long stretches, showing little fight until an impassioned huddle on the bench sparked them.
Stephon Castle described the problem this way: San Antonio sends “so many bodies” at Wembanyama that it can be hard for him to find the right look.
“He’s got to be aggressive. And him being aggressive opens up shots for other guys,” Castle said. “But yeah, he’s our best player, so we need him to be aggressive. And him being aggressive opens up shots for other guys.”
It left a simple reality hanging over San Antonio as the series tightens: with their season at stake, it’s on Wembanyama to spark the Spurs.
When OKC’s 3s fall, the offense runs smoother
Game 4 had gone the other way for Oklahoma City. In that loss, the Thunder hit just 6-of-33 (18.2%) from beyond the arc.
In Game 5, OKC leaned into efficiency and didn’t force shots. The Thunder made 14-of-32 (43.8%) 3-pointers. San Antonio hit its own share—just two fewer makes than Oklahoma City—but the Spurs had to chase them with 41 rim attempts to get there.
That difference mattered because it did more than change the scoreboard. Oklahoma City’s shooting made spacing easier to maintain, which helped create better angles for Gilgeous-Alexander to attack the rim and helped the role players get involved.
Holmgren and Hartenstein brought steadiness at both ends
In a series defined by physicality, Oklahoma City found a reliable rhythm through Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.
The two combined to score 28 points on 12-of-17 shooting (70.6%). They also owned the glass, cleaning up 26 rebounds, including nine offensive boards.
It was a particularly encouraging sign for Holmgren. He’d been struggling to score in the series, and the Thunder started Game 5 poorly, missing some easy looks. Holmgren answered by hitting all four of his shot attempts in the first quarter. settling the early chaos and giving OKC a stabilizing presence.
Gilgeous-Alexander praised his teammate’s ability to ride out the swings.
“He was really good,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Chet has all the tools, and everybody in our building and the league knows that. He’s a hell-of-a player. And as a player you’re going to go through ups and downs. I don’t ever worry about Chet just because I know how much he loves the game. how much he cares and how much he works.”.
A harder series can be a gift for the Knicks
While Game 5 pushed Oklahoma City closer to the Finals, it also reshaped the calendar for the New York Knicks.
The Knicks had finally punched their ticket to the NBA finals for the first time since 1999. clinching after a historic run. By the time May wraps up. New York is set to have played just eight games of basketball in the month. The Knicks also entered their decisive Game 4 blowout against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a completely clean injury report.
That gave them a luxury the Spurs and Thunder won’t have: scouting these two teams from home while the Western Conference continues to consume energy.
Holmgren put a spotlight on the physical cost of the fight, describing the intensity of this series.
“This is up there with the best of them,” Holmgren said when asked where this series ranks on a list of physical ones he has played. “Our last three series last year were all just bloodbaths, both teams just beating each other up, and I’d say this is up there with that.”
The NBA season is a grind, and the timing has mattered. Players began their preparations for this season in late September when training camps opened. That rest, even if it’s intangible, may matter in a late-stage series that keeps swinging between momentum and exhaustion.
And if Oklahoma City and San Antonio push this matchup to seven games, the Knicks’ advantage grows sharper—an extra layer of recovery and preparation while the Thunder and Spurs keep spending their season’s remaining fuel.
Oklahoma City Thunder San Antonio Spurs Victor Wembanyama Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Chet Holmgren Isaiah Hartenstein NBA playoffs Western Conference finals Knicks