Spurs’ hot start fades as Thunder rally for Game 3 win, series lead

The fiesta party lasted just five minutes inside the Frost Bank Center on Friday night. For the few minutes of Game 3, it felt like the San Antonio Spurs were going to take full control of the Western Conference Finals. Then, the offense vanished just as quickly as it appeared.

After racing out to a 19-4 lead, the Spurs went ice cold for the next three quarters as the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied for the 123-108 victory to retake home court advantage and a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

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For the Spurs, it is a loss that will likely linger long past the final buzzer. Not because the Spurs looked overwhelmed at times, but rather more because they looked more than capable of delivering a big knockout blow before things went south.

“We were really sharp to start the game, and you know, obviously didn’t sustain it, and that wasn’t sustainable how we started, but I thought we played very fast, and I think that’s something that tapered off as the game went along,” Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson said after the Game 3 loss.

Victor Wembanayama finished with 26 points, but he was mostly held outside of the paint for the most part and had just four rebounds. Devin Vassell was easily the best player on the court Friday night for the Spurs, scoring 20 points while adding four steals and seven rebounds. De’Aaron Fox returned (then left and returned again) to the lineup, scoring 15 points in series debut.

After San Antonio’s explosive start, Oklahoma City took control and never let it go again. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled from the floor, shooting 35 percent, but still had 26 points thanks to hitting all 12 of his free throws. The issue for San Antonio in this series has been the OKC bench, and it was again on Friday.

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Jared McCain exploded for 24 points off the bench while Jaylin Williams added 18 points as the Thunder’s second unit outscored San Antonio’s bench 76-23 for the game. Through three games this series, Oklahoma City’s bench has outscored the Spurs’ bench 183-64. That figure has slowly altered this series in the Thunder’s favor.

San Antonio took a five-point…

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Publish date : 2026-05-23 05:39:00

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