The San Antonio Spurs hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. Both teams entered the game looking to secure a 2-1 advantage in the series.
Spurs Start Strong, Thunder Respond
San Antonio started the game with a dominant 15-0 run. The Thunder called a timeout as the Frost Bank Center crowd erupted. The Spurs grabbed a 10-0 lead with 10:10 remaining in the opening quarter.
Oklahoma City responded with back-to-back triples from Jaylin Williams, reducing the deficit to 24-19 with 3:02 left in the first quarter. The Spurs led 31-26 at the end of the first quarter.
Wembanyama’s Early Impact
Victor Wembanyama made his presence felt early, scoring 7 points with two 3s, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, one steal and one block in 9 minutes. However, he also picked up his second personal foul just before the end of the first quarter.
Fox’s Return Boosts Spurs
De’Aaron Fox, returning from a two-game absence, tallied a game-high 9 points on 4-for-5 shooting in 9 minutes. Fox finished the first quarter with 6 points. Devin Vassell also had 6 points to lead the Spurs in the first quarter.
Thunder Rally to Take Lead
Despite trailing by as many as 15 points, the Thunder rallied. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gave the Thunder the lead in the second quarter. Oklahoma City took a 43-42 lead with 6:49 remaining before halftime, completing their comeback from the early deficit.
The Thunder’s Jaylin Williams paced OKC with 11 points, three 3s and 2 steals off the bench. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 5 points (2-6 FG) with a game-high 6 assists. Alex Caruso (5 pts, 1 stl, 1 blk) and Jaylin Williams (8 pts, 2 3PM, 3 reb) picked up the scoring slack through 12 minutes of play as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting with 3 assists.
De’Aaron Fox matched ‘J-Will’ with 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting to power the Spurs.
Game 3 saw seven lead changes and two ties in the first half.
The Thunder and Spurs are battling to take a 2-1 advantage in the series.