Oklahoma City’s depth powers Western Conference Finals win as Thunder reclaim series lead

• Oklahoma City’s bench scored 76 points in Game 3
• The Thunder defeated San Antonio 123-108
• OKC now leads the Western Conference Finals 2-1
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander helped steady the Thunder offense

Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 123-108 in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals on Thursday night behind a huge contribution from their bench unit, which combined for 76 points.

The San Antonio Spurs scored the first 15 points of the game, invigorating a passionate home crowd that hadn’t hosted a conference finals game in nine years

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 28 points and nine assists, while the Thunder reserves provided the decisive scoring advantage that helped the team reclaim the series lead.

“Down 15 at any point in time, alarms are going off,” Alex Caruso said, according to ESPN. “You need to make a play now; you don’t have time to wait.”

Oklahoma City’s bench consistently punished San Antonio throughout the second half, turning a competitive game into a comfortable road victory. The Thunder shot over 50 percent from the field and outscored the Spurs in transition while maintaining control of the pace late in the game.

The Spurs had gone on the longest scoring run to open a conference finals game during the play-by-play era, which began in 1997-98.

Victor Wembanyama finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks for San Antonio, while Devin Vassell added 19 points. The Spurs stayed close through the opening half before Oklahoma City pulled away with a decisive third-quarter run fueled largely by its second unit.

“Be calm, be poised in that situation and give each other confidence, give each other energy and know that we’re going to throw another punch,” said Oklahoma City reserve guard Jared McCain, according to ESPN, who scored a playoff-career-high 24 points. “We’re going to come back.”

According to postgame reports, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault credited the team’s depth and energy for helping swing momentum in Oklahoma City’s favor. The Thunder now hold a 2-1 advantage in the best-of-seven series as the teams prepare for Game 4 on Sunday in San Antonio.