Thunder defense stifles Spurs as Oklahoma City takes control of the Western Conference finals

Brilliant performance by several of their reserve players in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. The Oklahoma City Thunder turned the series around by defeating the San Antonio Spurs (108-123) at the Frost Bank Center in Texas.

With the win, the defending NBA champions put the 2-1 now hold a 2-1 lead in the series. It also marks the first time the San Antonio Spurs have trailed in these NBA playoffs.

Thunder defense attacks

With a double-double (26 points and 12 assists), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander rescued a Thunder that left the first quarter trailing. Oklahoma City's victory would not have happened without the brilliant play of several of its second-line players.

Jared McCain (24 points), Jaylin Williams (18 points), Alex Caruso (15 points) and Cason Wallace (11 points), four Thunder backcourt men, lifted Oklahoma City with their shooting efficiency.

Mark Daigneault highlighted the contribution of his bench.

"They were ready to play and we got beat early. But I think we showed great composure," the Thunder coach said. "It's a long game, obviously, and the bench gave us a huge boost at that point to help bring the game to a manageable situation."

The Thunder were without Jalen Williams, absent because of injury, while Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein were more subdued than usual.

On the Spurs' side, the good team performance of the starting five -all five finished with double digits in the scoring department- did not help much. As usual, Victor Wembanyama was the franchise's leading scorer (26 points).

In the Eastern Conference Finals, the New York Knicks dominate the playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers with an overall score of 2-0.