Bench points in the WCF:
Thunder – 183 Spurs – 64
OKC’s bench outscored San Antonio’s 76-23 in the Game 3 win.
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Mitch Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs looks on during the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Three of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Frost Bank Center on May 22, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas.
Alot of factors are working against the San Antonio Spurs as they try to level up the Western Conference Finals at two wins apiece on Sunday. For one, the Oklahoma City Thunder are 8-0 in Game 4s under Mark Daigneault, meaning the Spurs would have to snap a trend dating back more than three years.
Another factor working against the Spurs is their lack of bench production vis-à-vis the reigning NBA champions. Through the first three games, the Thunder’s bench has outscored the Spurs’ by a staggering margin of 132 points.
The Thunder are getting high production from Alex Caruso (21.0 PPG), Jared McCain (13.4 PPG) and Cason Wallace (10.3 PPG) and the rest of their bench mob, while the Spurs are getting just 9.3 points per game off the bench from Keldon Johnson, the Six Man of the Year. No other Spurs bench player is averaging more than 3.0 points, as the likes of Luke Kornet, Harrison Barnes and Carter Bryant have been non-factors.
Bench points in the WCF:
Thunder – 183 Spurs – 64
OKC’s bench outscored San Antonio’s 76-23 in the Game 3 win.
The Spurs are getting CRUSHED in bench points this series:
OKC — 183 points Spurs — 51 points
My goodness… 😳
The Thunder’s depth is insane.
Through three games, the Thunder have outscored the Spurs 183-61 in bench points. In last night’s Game 3 win, OKC’s bench outscored San Antonio’s bench 76-23.
The defending champions have now scored 50+ bench points in 3 straight playoff games. 🤯
The one potential boost for the Spurs is that rookie guard Dylan Harper — who survived an injury scare in Game 2 — returned to the second unit for Game 3, as All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox reassumed his starting role after missing the first two games.
Ahead of Game 4, Spurs star Stephon Castle urged teammate Keldon Johnson to find a way to contribute more to his team.
“Maybe he’s in his head a little bit,” Castle said of Johnson.
ESPN’s Michael C. Wright feels the bench disparity remains the biggest storyline to watch before Spurs vs Thunder Game 4.
“The Spurs sped out of the gates in Game 3 with an appropriate sense of urgency and raised their physicality on both ends of the floor, but it wasn’t enough to offset San Antonio’s lack of scoring punch off the bench. Oklahoma City’s reserves outscored the Spurs’ bench 76-23,” he wrote.
“So, it’s worth pondering whether the Spurs will look to shorten their rotation Sunday for Game 4. Oklahoma’s depth advantage has been striking throughout this series, with the Thunder bench outscoring San Antonio’s reserves 107-41 in the two outings before Game 3.”
“On the injury front, keep an eye out for the potential return of Thunder guard Jalen Williams in Game 4. Williams was held out of Game 3 because of hamstring tightness and is considered day-to-day.
“Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox, meanwhile, appeared to re-aggravate his high right ankle sprain late in the third quarter and left with 1:09 remaining before returning to start the final frame, clearly hobbled. His return played a huge role in San Antonio cutting down its turnovers while also spelling Stephon Castle, whose usage rate as a ball handler had skyrocketed with Fox sidelined for the first two games.”
Spurs vs Thunder Game 4 tips off at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided's Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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