The Oklahoma City Thunder did what was necessary by getting a road win in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. OKC withstood San Antonio’s best hit to start the game, and despite trailing 15-0 less than 3 minutes into the game, the Thunder punched back to cut the deficit to 5 by the end of the period before eventually taking a 7-point lead into halftime. OKC would never relinquish that lead as the Spurs never got within 5 points the rest of the way to give the Thunder a 123-108 victory and a 2-1 series lead.
“Game 4 is an important game” is a severe understatement. Either way, the Thunder is heading back to OKC with homecourt advantage, so the pressure is definitely less than if they had given away Game 3 to the Spurs. Still, you don’t want to let your opponent gain any momentum in this series, and if San Antonio were to win big to tie up the series, they would likely be feeling pretty good about themselves. On the flip side, San Antonio should be feeling all the pressure in the world to win this one. Going down 3-1 before heading back to the loudest arena in the NBA would not be good news for the Spurs.
The keys to the series have begun to unfold in the Thunder’s favor: depth and resilience are the dominant forces at play. OKC has a deeper bench, and that is evident by the massive scoring advantage of 183-64 over the three games played so far. The Thunder’s resilience is incredibly evident after the Game 3 comeback, whereas the Spurs’ only win came in Game 1, where the Thunder never led by more than 3.
If San Antonio cannot get some contributions beyond the starting lineup, the Spurs might be done sooner than expected. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has played the most minutes in the entire series at 126, but the Spurs have the next 4 guys with the most minutes played: Victor Wembanyama (125), Devin Vassell (124), Stephon Castle (122), and Julian Champagnie (115). Even Dylan Harper has played 89 minutes, just 7 minutes fewer than Chet Holmgren, and Harper sat out a chunk of Game 2 due to a strained adductor.
Needless to say, the Spurs are meeting fatigue much quicker than the Thunder, and if San Antonio cannot take and hold on to a lead late, they are far less likely to come back from a late deficit. OKC needs a better start to Game 4 than they had in Game 3, but even if the Thunder doesn’t come out hot, the resilience must be maintained, as that is the key to outlasting a younger and less experienced team that has less depth. With Jalen Williams unlikely to play and Ajay Mitchell out, look for Cason Wallace, Jared McCain, and Jaylin Williams to get more minutes, and don’t be surprised if they continually find a way to contribute in game-shifting ways.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 7:30 PM CT
Location: Frost Bank Center (San Antonio, Texas)
Television: NBA on NBC and Peacock
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live tweets and discussion during the game
Game Notes: Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes, San Antonio Spurs Official Game Notes
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SG: Cason Wallace
- SF: Luguentz Dort
- PF: Chet Holmgren
- C: Isaiah Hartenstein
Spurs
- PG: De’Aaron Fox
- SG: Stephon Castle
- SF: Devin Vassell
- PF: Justin Champagnie
- C: Victor Wembanyama
Injury Report
Thunder
- Ajay Mitchell (strained right soleus) is OUT.
- Thomas Sorber (right ACL surgical recovery) is OUT.
- Jalen Williams (left hamstring soreness) is QUESTIONABLE.
Spurs
- NONE
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 32-34 against the Spurs in the regular season (22-11 at home, 10-22 away, 0-1 at neutral location) and 12-9 against them in the playoffs (8-3 at home, 4-6 away).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City, the Thunder has won the season series with the Spurs 5 times, lost 8 times, and tied 5 times.
- The Thunder went 1-4 against the Spurs in the regular season (1-1 at home, 0-2 on the road, and 0-1 at a neutral location).
- OKC leads San Antonio 2-1 in the Western Conference Finals (1-1 at home, 1-0 on the road).