Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Drops 30 as Thunder Even Western Conference Finals Against Spurs
The Oklahoma City Thunder will not be swept by the Spurs. Game 2 belonged to the reigning two-time MVP and an OKC defense that finally figured out what to do about Victor Wembanyama.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 30 points, nine assists, and a 50 percent shooting line in the Thunder’s 122-113 home win on Wednesday night. The series is now tied 1-1 heading to San Antonio for Game 3 on Sunday. Oklahoma City led for 80 percent of the game and forced 21 Spurs turnovers that turned into 27 points.
The Thunder defense was the story. Wembanyama still posted 21 points, 17 rebounds, six assists, and four blocks, and he was the best player on the floor for a half. The Thunder responded in the third quarter by surrounding him with double teams every time he touched the ball in the post and trusting Chet Holmgren one-on-one in pick-and-roll coverage. The Spurs hesitated. The turnovers piled up. The game tilted.
Stephon Castle had 25 for San Antonio. Devin Vassell added 22. Dylan Harper, who has been the breakout playoff guard of the postseason, was held to 11 on 4-of-13 shooting. That was the Thunder’s plan. They were happy to let Castle and Vassell take their shots if it meant Harper and Wembanyama were forced into contested looks every possession.
Mark Daigneault’s adjustment from Game 1 was twofold. He played Lu Dort heavier minutes on Harper. He gave Holmgren more touches on the short roll, which forced the Spurs’ help defense to make difficult decisions on Jalen Williams cutters and Aaron Wiggins shooters. The result was 34 Thunder assists, tied for the second-most by any team this postseason.
Williams had 24 points. Wiggins added 14 off the bench. The Thunder are a deeper team than the Spurs, and Daigneault leaned into that depth in the second half, going to a nine-man rotation that wore San Antonio down.
For Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson, the loss is a roadmap. He needs more from Harper, who has been the Spurs’ second-best player all postseason. He needs better turnover management out of his guards. He needs Wembanyama touches that do not require him to put the ball on the floor three times before shooting. The Spurs are still good enough to win this series. They just have to be more efficient.
The series now shifts to San Antonio with both teams holding serve. Game 3 on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on TNT will tell us whether the Spurs are ready to become the team the regular season suggested they could be, or whether the defending-champion Thunder are about to pull away in a series they expected to win.
The pick here is the Thunder in six. They have the best player in the playoffs this side of Wembanyama in Gilgeous-Alexander, they have the deeper roster, and they have the championship muscle memory from last June. The Spurs have the brighter future. The Thunder have the present.
Game 3 will tell us how much of that present is left to fight for.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
