Gilgeous-Alexander Sparks Thunder Comeback, Oklahoma City Takes 2-1 Lead Over Spurs
SLUG: thunder-overcome-early-deficit-take-series-lead
The Oklahoma City Thunder erased a 15-point deficit and defeated the San Antonio Spurs 123-108 on Saturday night in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, moving ahead 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
SGA Guides Rally
Two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander collected 26 points and 12 assists. After San Antonio opened the contest with a 15-0 burst, the guard said the Thunder focused on “the next possession.” “They obviously jumped on us early,” Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters. “All we can do is focus on the next possession, and we did that.”
Turnovers Limited
Head coach Mark Daigneault cited Oklahoma City’s 10 turnovers as a turning point. “Other than the first 15 points, our defense was really tight,” he said. “We couldn’t be reckless against them. I thought we were disciplined tonight.”
Bench Production Headlines Win
Despite the absence of Jalen Williams (hamstring), the Thunder reserves outscored the Spurs bench 76-23. Trade-deadline addition Jared McCain poured in 24 points. “He just oozes confidence,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He’s always aggressive, always in attack mode and we needed it tonight.”
Caruso Earning Early MVP Buzz
Columnist Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman labeled Alex Caruso the series’ most valuable player to date. The guard posted 15 points in 24 minutes Saturday and is averaging 21.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 block with a plus-46 rating through three games. “The most impressive thing is, he makes the plays that have nothing to do with physical ability,” center Chet Holmgren said.
Game 4 is scheduled for Monday in San Antonio.
Source: Hoops Rumors
