Well, the Thunder are the defending champions for a reason, and on Friday, they reminded the basketball world what set them apart from the rest of the league again this season.
The Spurs jumped out to a 15–0 lead to open the game, sending the home crowd into a frenzy, but the Thunder never blinked, and had retaken the lead by the time a minute had passed in the second quarter.
From there, it was something of a runaway for OKC. While the Spurs were able to close the gap a few times, they never got over the hump, and the Thunder had an answer any time the threat became too great.
It’s now a 2–1 series, and the Thunder suddenly have the Spurs on the ropes heading into Game 4 on Sunday. Below we break down three takeaways from another thrilling game in the Western Conference finals.
The Thunder bench continues to dominate
The Thunder’s depth is one of their biggest strengths, but even by their lofty standards, the bench has been exceptional this series.
In the first two games against the Spurs, OKC outscored San Antonio’s bench by over 30 points in each contest. Jalen Williams’s Game 2 absence meant the substitutes would have to step up to make up for his scoring and defensive acumen—and boy, did they ever. Jaylin Williams hit 5-of-6 three-point shots, Jared McCain led the team with 21 shots and Alex Caruso caused his usual chaos. The result was 76 points off the bench, a franchise playoff record; it breaks the old record of 57 points they just set in Game 2.
OKC'S BENCH DROPPED 76 POINTS IN GAME 3!
— NBA (@NBA) May 23, 2026
Jared McCain: 24 PTS (postseason career-high)
Jaylin Williams: 18 PTS (postseason career-high)
Alex Caruso: 15 PTS
Cason Wallace: 11 PTS
Thunder win Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference Finals 🍿 pic.twitter.com/954MldKnMb
Every point matters in the playoffs, but there’s no overstating how enormous the impact the bench has had this series. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t been his usual stellar self as a shooter, Williams is hurt and now Ajay Mitchell might be, too. Instead of shrinking from the spotlight, the team’s depth has stepped up. More than that, they've played better than the starters! Four of OKC’s starting five finished Game 3 with a negative plus-minus, while three different Thunder bench players finished above +20.
It’s been the story of the season for this Thunder team. As injury and attrition set in throughout the long regular season following a championship run, the roster rallied to rack up wins. Different guys stepped up every night. The playoffs have been no different. But now that OKC has run into a team nearly as talented, their depth is saving the day.
The Thunder have the best player in the NBA in SGA and can win any game with him on the floor. But having four or five guys coming off the bench who could start for 29 other teams is pretty important, too. What a showing from the bench mob.
The Spurs are getting demolished on both ends of the floor when Wemby has been out
When Victor Wembanyama is on the floor, the Spurs can hang with anyone. But despite his status as an “alien,” even Wemby can’t play 48 minutes per night, and that his absence has been a big problem against the Thunder.
San Antonio is getting outproduced in the minutes Wembanyama is not on the floor. This is extremely clear to anyone with eyes, but the numbers also prove the point. In the first half on Friday, Wembanyama had a plus-minus of +12 over 18 minutes, while his backup Luke Kornet was a -18 in just six and a half minutes. That’s not sustainable for winning basketball.
To their credit, the Spurs tried some new things this time around, with Wemby and Kornet both on the court for a few short stints, allowing Wembanyama to play as the big in moments rather than every second he’s on the floor. It wasn’t pretty, but it was something different.
Replacing Wembanyama is something of an impossible problem. He’s as unique a player as the league has seen in … well, maybe ever. Between the gravity he carries on defense and his threat as a scorer from all three levels on offense, there’s just not another player like him. It’s not exactly Kornet’s fault that things fall apart when he takes over for Wemby—it’s just that with him on the floor, the Spurs are going up against the reigning champions without the silver bullet that makes them a championship contender.
Still, every team needs to figure out how to survive the minutes when their best player isn’t on the floor. The only thing that is unique about the problem for San Antonio is how good Wemby is. There’s no clear answer for the Spurs. Could someone else take on some of Kornet’s minutes? Maybe. Could they just go super small for an extended run? Sure, but I wouldn’t recommend it against the Thunder. Ultimately, it might come down to figuring out how they can simply limit the damage of the Kornet minutes. Through three games in this series, it’s clear every point is going to matter.
Even when he is on the floor, the Spurs need more than Wembanyama
Wembanyama looked a bit run-down in Game 3 after playing 86 minutes between Game 1 and Game 2. Even so, he finished with a solid enough statline to keep his team in the game. Wemby finished with 26 points (with eight made free throws), four rebounds, three assists and two steals. It’s a far cry from the monstrous numbers we saw out of the French superstar in the first two games but, as noted above, San Antonio won his minutes on the floor.
The problem—and the reason the Spurs lost the game—is that nobody stepped up to help him. Devin Vassell had a good outing with 20 points on 50% shooting, but he missed his biggest shot of the night, a three with a few minutes left that could have cut the score to single digits. He was the only other San Antonio player to crack 20 points on the night. De’Aaron Fox did what he could (15 points on 7-for-14 shooting, 7 rebounds, 6 assists) but was clearly hobbled, especially after Lu Dort fell on his right ankle. Stephon Castle had his worst game of the postseason by going 1-for-8 from the field and scoring 11 of his 14 points from the free throw line. Sixth Man of the Year Keldon Johnson finished with five points on five shots off the bench. It was a brutal no-show from the Spurs’ supporting cast.
That happens in the postseason. Not every game is going to be perfect, and San Antonio, famously, has only two players on its roster who have survived this long in the postseason before. But Wembanyama cannot do it by himself. Even when he had his 41-point explosion to take Game 1, he was supported by 24 points from Dylan Harper along with 17 points and 11 assists from Castle.
Beyond the simple numbers, this Thunder defense is keyed in on Wembanyama. The Spurs have opportunities to attack and score as a result. When they can do that consistently, it makes Wemby’s life easier and OKC’s harder. But when the shots don’t fall from beyond the arc and they stop trying to take advantage of the defense shifting toward Wembanyama’s enormous talents, the opposite occurs.
Wembanyama cannot do this alone. Every all-time great talent in the history of the league found that out for themselves the hard way. When he doesn’t play near-perfect basketball, one of his teammates must pick up the slack. Nobody did in Game 3 and now the Spurs are in a 2–1 hole.
You can relive the action as it happened with our live coverage of Game 3 below
How we got here...
Game 1: Spurs 122, Thunder 115 (2OT)
Game 2: Thunder 122, Spurs 113
The Spurs and Thunder took somewhat different journeys to the Western Conference finals. Oklahoma City won eight straight games to start its title defense, sweeping the Suns and Lakers to set up the showdown against San Antonio. Meanwhile, the Spurs have had to battle a bit more, needing five games to finish off the Blazers and six to take down the Timberwolves.
The Thunder’s undefeated run in the postseason came to an end in Game 1, when the Spurs rallied to win in double overtime and shock the OKC faithful. Suddenly, the thought of back-to-back championship seasons felt in doubt. But the Thunder responded with a gritty performance in Game 2, notably led by Isaiah Hartenstein’s physical defense on Victor Wembanyama.
We’ll see how both sides adjust tonight.
