Getty
Jared McCain of the Oklahoma City Thunder reacts during an NBA postseason game.
The Oklahoma City Thunder secured an all-important win, taking down the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, 127-114, on Tuesday night.
The Thunder now leads 3-2 in the series and is just one win away from the NBA Finals to defend their title.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the two-time reigning Most Valuable Player, led the Thunder with 32 points on 16 for 17 shooting from the free-throw line along with nine assists.
He got help from Jared McCain, who started the game for the first time in his playoff career and had 20 points built on three 3-pointers. Alex Caruso also got 22 points off the bench to bounce back from his dud in Game 4.
GettyFormer Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain is playing a massive role for the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder now.
The NBA world commended the Thunder’s supporting cast around Gilgeous-Alexander, such as McCain and Caruso, for contributing in Game 5.
@Bi_Mababa: Game 5s are all about who wants it more, and McCain is completely taking over this quarter. If OKC closes this out with a 15-point cushion, the momentum shifting back to them is going to be massive
@mike_h1990: Cannot say enough about the play of McCain and Caruso.
@TavizonDillon: BANGG 3-2 great win boys 1 more too good Thunder Up⚡
@KellyWhite0002: Thunder Up! ⚡🔥 Got it done at home 3-2 lead locked in. SGA, Caruso, and McCain showed up huge when it mattered. One more win and we’re back to the Finals! Let’s close it out in SA. #ThunderUp 🫡
On the other hand, some Thunder haters continue to rue the referees’ decisions in the game, which they believe gave OKC an unfair advantage for Game 5.
@JasonBunchRIP: Your flopping, FT merchant strikes again 😂. What an embarrassment.
@kyle_seager1: OKC residence are a bunch of Baptist and Church of Christ. Y’all just blatantly copying the Spurs nuns is f’ing embarrassing. Cheaters and pieces of shit makes sense coming from that garbage state 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
@Fireball_Hamlin: I’m not excusing the Spurs shitty performance tonight, but the refs have just made this series what could have been one of the best into a fucking joke. If we lose this series on Thursday or Saturday, I hope the Knicks expose you guys and embarrass you in the Finals.
@friskykillface: Thank the refs lmao #NBC wants game 7 so have fun with a repeat of game 4, no one is getting calls in San Antonio.
GettyShai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder gets fouled during an NBA game.
Winning Game 5 is incredibly important for the Thunder. The Game 5 winner wins a seven-game series 82% of the time across NBA history.
The winner of the series will be facing the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals. The Knicks swept their Eastern Conference Finals series with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Game 6 of the West Finals will be on Thursday, May 28, back in San Antonio, where the Thunder is 1-1 in the series. If the Spurs win in Game 6, the series will go to Game 7 in Oklahoma City on Saturday, May 30.
Rob Andrew Lo Rob Andrew Lo is a writer at Heavy Sports and is covering the NBA. He has covered local, collegiate, professional and international sports in various sites. He was the sports editor of The Varsitarian, the official student publication of University of Santo Tomas, and a sports, entertainment, and lifestyle writer for Rappler. A Journalism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas, he has built his voice across both collegiate and international platforms, previously contributing NBA coverage to Fansided and Sportskeeda. More about Rob Andrew Lo
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