The Oklahoma City Thunder played strong defense on Tuesday to take down the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 and take a 3-2 WCF lead.
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The first quarter was San Antonio’s best opportunity to seize control of the matchup. While they momentarily led early, OKC’s defense began to smother Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs.
After 12 minutes, the Thunder had jumped ahead by two.
In the second quarter, San Antonio improved marginally on offense, but the Thunder erupted at the same time. They were lethal from everywhere on the court as they dropped 40 points in the second quarter to take an 11-point halftime lead.
Wembanyama struggled not just to score, but to battle with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein on the glass.
The third quarter was largely competitive, with the Thunder going up by as many as 20 points before the Spurs cut it to single digits.
In the fourth quarter, OKC’s terrific defense and hot three-point shooting completely stalled every comeback attempt San Antonio made.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 32 points and nine rebounds alongside Alex Caruso, who came off the bench for 22 points and six rebounds.
For the Spurs, Wembanyama finished with 20 points and six rebounds on 4-of-15 shooting.
OKC now leads 3-2 as the series heads back to San Antonio on Thursday.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
