The MVP showed up when the Oklahoma City Thunder needed him most. The series is even.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bounced back from a quiet series opener to score 30 points and lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 122-113 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on Thursday. The Thunder, who were staring down a 2-0 hole after a subpar Game 1, instead head to San Antonio with the series knotted at one.
Thunder Step Up to the Challenge
Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t alone. Alex Caruso came off the bench to contribute 17, while Chet Holmgren added 13. Reserves Jared McCain and Cason Wallace each put up 12, part of a 57-25 Thunder advantage in bench scoring that told the story of the night. Oklahoma City also won the points-off-turnovers battle 27-10—and in a series against a Spurs team that has been turnover-prone, that margin is not a coincidence.
“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.”
Gilgeous-Alexander knew what was at stake.
“The guys brought it tonight,” he said. “Knowing what it would have meant if we lost this one, we brought the energy from the jump.”
Isaiah Hartenstein—who barely saw the court in Game 1—responded with 10 points and 13 rebounds, giving Oklahoma City the interior presence it lacked in the opener. The Thunder improved to 14-5 after a loss this season with the victory, and beat the Spurs for just the second time in seven meetings.
The win came at a price, though. Jalen Williams—already managing a left hamstring strain that had cost him six playoff games—left in the first half with a recurrence of the issue. The Thunder called it tightness, but his availability for Game 3 on Friday is very much in doubt.
Spurs’ Injury Woes
San Antonio dealt with its own injury trouble. Already without All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox due to ankle soreness, the Spurs lost his replacement in the starting lineup—Dylan Harper—to a right leg injury after a pair of awkward falls in the third quarter. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson had no update on Harper after the game.
“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,” Johnson said. “We’ll just have to be sharper in that area because it’s tough fully loaded against these guys.”
The Spurs made it interesting anyway. Victor Wembanyama was a force all night—finishing with 21 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 blocks—while Stephon Castle added 25 and Devin Vassell chipped in 22. San Antonio trailed by 11 at halftime and by 8 heading into the fourth, then clawed back to within 99-97 on a Harrison Barnes corner triple with 9:06 remaining.
That’s when the Thunder closed the door.
An 11-0 run—capped by a McCain banked-in three midway through the burst—pushed the lead to 13 and took the air out of the Spurs’ comeback. Wembanyama scored inside to make it 118-113 with 1:25 left, but Gilgeous-Alexander answered with a basket to settle it for good.
“We’ve got to help our ballhandlers more and take care of the ball,” Wembanyama said.
Game 3 tips off Saturday in San Antonio. The Thunder are a win away from control. The Spurs are banged up, turnover-prone, and running out of margin for error.
