Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returned to MVP form as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 122-113 on Wednesday night in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, leveling the series at 1-1, News.Az reports, citing AP.

After struggling in the series opener, Gilgeous-Alexander responded with 30 points, while Alex Caruso provided a major lift off the bench with 17 points. Chet Holmgren contributed 13 points, and reserves Jared McCain and Cason Wallace each added 12 as Oklahoma City dominated key areas of the game.

The Thunder held a commanding 57-25 advantage in bench scoring and capitalized heavily on turnovers, outscoring San Antonio 27-10 in points off giveaways.

“I thought we all played better,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said after the win. “I had a quiet confidence about that. I didn't know if we'd win or lose the game, but I was pretty sure after watching Game 1 and knowing our team that we were going to come out and play better tonight.”

For San Antonio, Stephon Castle led the scoring effort with 25 points. Devin Vassell added 22, while Victor Wembanyama delivered an all-around performance with 21 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and four blocks.

Game 3 is set for Friday night in San Antonio.

“The guys brought it tonight,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Knowing what it would have meant if we lost this one, we brought the energy from the jump.”

Isaiah Hartenstein, who saw limited action in Game 1, bounced back with 10 points and 13 rebounds for Oklahoma City. The Thunder also improved to 14-5 following losses this season and earned only their second victory in seven meetings against the Spurs.

However, the win came with injury concerns for Oklahoma City. Guard Jalen Williams, who had already missed six playoff games because of a left hamstring strain, exited during the first half after experiencing renewed tightness in the same hamstring. Although the Thunder described the issue as tightness, his status for Game 3 remains uncertain.

San Antonio also dealt with injuries during the contest. Already missing All-Star guard De'Aaron Fox because of ankle soreness, the Spurs then lost replacement starter Dylan Harper to a right leg injury after two awkward falls in the third quarter.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson did not provide an update on Harper afterward but acknowledged the impact of losing multiple ballhandlers.

“Obviously this team is as good as anybody at turning you over, so when you’re down some of your primary creators and initiators it causes a little bit of an extra strain, whether that’s who to play, what to play, what to run, etc., etc.,” Johnson said. “We’ll just have to be sharper in that area because it’s tough fully loaded against these guys.”

San Antonio trailed by 11 points at halftime and entered the fourth quarter down eight, but the Spurs rallied late. Harrison Barnes knocked down a corner 3-pointer with 9:06 remaining to cut the deficit to 99-97.

Oklahoma City quickly regained control with a decisive 11-0 run over the next two and a half minutes. The surge included a banked-in 3-pointer from McCain that helped push the Thunder lead back to 13.

Still, the Spurs refused to fold. Wembanyama scored inside with 1:25 remaining to bring San Antonio within five points at 118-113. But Gilgeous-Alexander answered with a crucial basket in the closing moments to secure the victory and send the series to San Antonio tied at one game apiece.

“We've got to help our ballhandlers more and take care of the ball,” Wembanyama said.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev