The Oklahoma City Thunder showcased resilience and teamwork as they overcame a 15-point deficit to secure a 123-108 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night. This win gives the Thunder a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference finals.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge with 26 points and 12 assists, while Jared McCain contributed 24 points and Jaylin Williams added 18. The Thunder’s bench played a crucial role, outscoring the Spurs’ bench 76-23, with Alex Caruso scoring 15 points.

Despite the absence of Jalen Williams due to left hamstring soreness, the Thunder managed to regroup after a slow start. The Spurs, energized by their home crowd, jumped to a historic 15-0 lead, marking the longest opening run in a conference finals game since 1997. De’Aaron Fox, returning from a sprained right ankle, helped ignite this early surge with a driving layup, followed by a 3-pointer from Victor Wembanyama.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault called an early timeout to steady his team. “Other than the first 15 points, our defense was really tight,” Daigneault commented. “We settled down into the halfcourt and ran good offense tonight.” The Thunder responded with a 13-2 run, closing the first quarter trailing 31-26.

The game saw its share of intensity, particularly in the second half, when emotions ran high following a flagrant foul and technical fouls involving players from both teams. However, Oklahoma City maintained their composure, extending their first lead with back-to-back 3-pointers from Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams.

As the series continues, the Spurs face the challenge of bouncing back in Game 4, scheduled for Sunday. “It’s my first playoffs,” Wembanyama reflected. “Of course, there was going to be hard trials. It’s to be expected, but now we’re going to see what we’re made of.”

Original reporting: KSAT Sports (San Antonio) — read the source article.