Thunder Even Western Conference Finals as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Drops 30 on Spurs in Game 2
The Thunder needed a response, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gave them one. Oklahoma City handled the Spurs 122-113 in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday night, evening the series at 1-1 before it shifts to San Antonio for Game 3 on Thursday.
This was not the Game 1 version of SGA. The reigning two-time MVP poured in 30 points on 50 percent shooting and added nine assists, sealing the game with a jumper inside the final minute. The Thunder needed every bit of that after dropping a double-overtime classic on their home floor 48 hours earlier.
San Antonio did not go quietly. Victor Wembanyama still stuffed the stat sheet with 21 points, 17 rebounds, six assists, and four blocks. Devin Vassell added 22 points. The Spurs just could not match Oklahoma City’s pressure defense the way they did in Game 1, when Wembanyama was a one-man wrecking crew with a 41-and-24 line.
The story of Game 2 was the Thunder turning up the temperature on every Spurs possession. Lu Dort hounded Dylan Harper into a quieter night, and OKC forced 18 San Antonio turnovers that turned into 26 points the other way. That is how you flip a series.
It also showed why the Thunder are still favored to come out of the West, even after losing home court. Mark Daigneault made adjustments. Chet Holmgren protected the rim. Jalen Williams was steady. The defending champs looked like the defending champs.
San Antonio now gets the next two games at the Frost Bank Center. The Spurs are 8-2 at home this postseason, and Wembanyama has been close to unguardable in his own building. Game 3 might define this series. If the Thunder steal one in San Antonio, this thing is essentially over. If the Spurs hold serve, the pressure flips entirely back to Oklahoma City.
Shai’s bounce-back is the most important storyline. He went 7-of-22 in Game 1 and looked rattled at times by the way Wembanyama and Harper were swarming him in pick-and-roll. On Wednesday he attacked downhill, hunted his spots in the mid-range, and made the right read every time the Spurs sent a second defender. That is the SGA who won back-to-back MVPs.
Dylan Harper had nine turnovers. Nine. He is a 19-year-old playing in his first conference finals, and the Thunder made him pay for every loose handle. Stephon Castle gave the Spurs a lift off the bench with 14 points, but San Antonio’s perimeter creation went stale once Harper started getting trapped.
This series is still in the Spurs’ favor on the schedule. They get two at home, then back to OKC for Game 5. If Wembanyama plays the way he did in Game 1, you have to bet on San Antonio. If he plays the way he did Wednesday, this is the Thunder’s series to take back.
Either way, this is the matchup the NBA hoped for. The defending champion against the most exciting young team in the league, the two-time MVP against the player who is going to take his crown. Game 3 cannot get here fast enough.
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.
