Game 3 of the Western Conference finals looked like an absolute nightmare for the Oklahoma City Thunder right out of the gate. Within the first three minutes, the defending champions trailed the San Antonio Spurs 15-0, a deficit that ballooned to 19-4 just two minutes later as a raucous Frost Bank Center crowd went wild.
Then, the Thunder’s legendary depth took over, News.Az reports, citing Yahoo Sports.
JAYLIN WILLIAMS 4-POINT PLAY 🎯 18 PTS (postseason career-high) Thunder lead by 12 in Q4 of Game 3! pic.twitter.com/XyUya4Ks3N— NBA (@NBA) May 23, 2026
5 3PM (postseason career-high)
Led by a relentless second unit featuring Jared McCain (24 points), Jaylin Williams (18 points), Alex Caruso (15 points), and Cason Wallace (11 points), Oklahoma City completely flipped the script to secure a 123-108 victory. With the win, the Thunder take a 2-1 lead in the series, with Game 4 looming on Sunday.
The story of the night was the staggering disparity between the two benches. While San Antonio boasted NBA Sixth Man of the Year Keldon Johnson and rookie phenom Dylan Harper, the Spurs' reserves were thoroughly outmatched. The Thunder bench single-handedly outscored their starters 76 to 47. On the flip side, the Spurs' starters did heavy lifting with 85 points, but their bench managed just 23.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander anchored the Thunder starters with 26 points and 12 assists, but it was the bench mob that stepped up in the absence of injured star Jalen Williams. At one point, the rookie McCain even confidently took Victor Wembanyama 1-on-1 in the paint and scored—a testament to the unwavering confidence brewing in OKC.
The Spurs simply ran out of gas after their initial adrenaline surge. Wembanyama, who played a staggering 86 minutes across Games 1 and 2, logged another 39 minutes on Friday. The Defensive Player of the Year did everything he could, finishing with 26 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks. While San Antonio was +4 during Wembanyama's minutes, the Thunder absolutely demolished the Spurs by 19 points in the mere nine minutes he rested.
With the loss, the Spurs became only the second team this century to blow a 15-0 or better start to a playoff game, joining the 2017 Washington Wizards.
To make matters worse for San Antonio, star guard De'Aaron Fox re-injured his right ankle in the third quarter. Fox, who missed Games 1 and 2 and was a game-time decision for Game 3, limped off the court in visible pain and spent the rest of the game on the bench with a towel over his head.
The tension in this physical series also reached a boiling point in the third quarter. After OKC's Ajay Mitchell made hard contact with Stephon Castle on a breakaway, Devin Vassell retaliated with a shove, triggering a heated scrum. Mitchell was assessed a Flagrant 1, while both he and Vassell received technical fouls.
The hostile environment didn't stop there, as the San Antonio crowd heavily heckled Gilgeous-Alexander with chants of "Flopper!" while he shot a perfect 12-of-12 from the free-throw line. Despite the fan frustration, the whistle was entirely even, with both teams finishing the night with exactly 33 free-throw attempts.
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