Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder evened the Western Conference finals by beating the San Antonio Spurs 122-113 in Game 2, with the matchup swinging energy back to San Antonio for Game 3. The win featured big nights from Gilgeous-Alexander and Alex Caruso, contributions from Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City reserves, and another dominant, all-around performance from Victor Wembanyama for the Spurs.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bounced back from a muted Game 1 to pour in 30 points and remind everyone why he’s the season’s MVP. Alex Caruso chipped in 17 off the bench and gave the Thunder steady defense and veteran savvy; those two carried the offense when the Spurs pressed. The Thunder’s depth showed up across the stats sheet and helped swing the momentum all night.

Chet Holmgren added 13 points while reserves Jared McCain and Cason Wallace each finished with 12, turning the second unit into a decisive advantage. Oklahoma City posted a 57-25 edge in bench scoring, and the Thunder’s 27-10 advantage in points off turnovers made a major difference. Those kinds of margins are tough to overcome in playoff basketball, and the Thunder took full advantage.

“I thought we all played better,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “I had a quiet confidence about that. I didn’t know if we’d win or lose the game, but I was pretty sure after watching Game 1 and knowing our team that we were going to come out and play better tonight.”

The Spurs still had huge nights from their stars. Stephon Castle scored 25 points, Devin Vassell added 22, and Victor Wembanyama had a monster stat line with 21 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and four blocks. Even with that kind of production, San Antonio couldn’t erase the Thunder’s second-half runs and timely buckets.

Injuries complicated things for both teams. Isaiah Hartenstein, who played sparingly in Game 1, finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds to help stabilize the Thunder’s interior defense. Oklahoma City also lost guard Jalen Williams in the first half after he experienced a recurrence of a left hamstring strain — a setback that clouds his availability for Game 3 and tightens the Thunder rotation.

San Antonio took hits too. Dylan Harper, who had stepped into the starting lineup, suffered a right leg injury after taking a couple of awkward falls in the third quarter. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson offered no update on Harper after the game but warned that the team would feel the absence of its ballhandlers and creators.

“Obviously this team is as good as anybody at turning you over, so when you’re down some of your primary creators and initiators it causes a little bit of an extra strain, whether that’s who to play, what to play, what to run, etc., etc.,” Johnson said. “We’ll just have to be sharper in that area because it’s tough fully loaded against these guys.”

The flow of the game saw the Spurs down by 11 at halftime and still trailing by eight entering the fourth. They cut the gap to 99-97 on a corner three by Harrison Barnes with 9:06 left, but the Thunder answered with an 11-0 run that included a banked three by Jared McCain to push the lead back to 13. San Antonio battled back late — Wembanyama scored inside to make it 118-113 with 1:25 remaining — but Gilgeous-Alexander knocked down one more crucial basket to settle the outcome.

“The guys brought it tonight,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Knowing what it would have meant if we lost this one, we brought the energy from the jump.”

Turnovers were a recurring theme for the Spurs, and Wembanyama called attention to ball security after the loss. “We’ve got to help our ballhandlers more and take care of the ball,” Wembanyama said, pointing to the small margins that make a series swing. With both teams dealing with key injuries, the next game becomes even more about adjustments and which bench can sustain the starters’ minutes.

Game 3 is Friday in San Antonio, and both clubs will head into that matchup with scouting notes and a few fresh concerns. The Thunder showed they can flip the script from Game 1, while the Spurs proved they can hang in there even with pieces missing. Expect sharper looks, tighter rotation calls and a roster chess match as the series heads back to San Antonio.