The Thunder trusted everything they built, and it saved them in a pivotal Game 5 vs. the Spurs

OKLAHOMA CITY — For five painstaking minutes, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander technically close but logistically far away on the Thunder bench, each possession became a test of faith.

Faith in head coach Mark Daigneault to map out a survival plan without their source of sustenance, especially with Victor Wembanyama roaming the floor at the other end. Faith in the trusted five on the floor, each with their own reason for motivation to succeed. Faith in a passionate fanbase known for its volume — both literally and figuratively — to support the second quarter stint. Faith in everything that mattered to a franchise desperate to retain leverage in a pivotal Game 5.

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So as San Antonio’s coaching staff rushed to the court 90 seconds in, stunned by a lightning-quick 7-0 run accentuated by Alex Caruso’s 3-point celebration for a shot that didn’t even belong to him, it was evident that the faith had been restored and rewarded.

“I thought we were first to the fight tonight,” Daigneault said following the Thunder’s 127-114 win. “On both ends. And we weren’t the other night. That’s why that game went the way it did and why tonight went the way it did. Obviously there’s always some variance — they missed some good looks. But looking internally at us, I just loved the way we approached the game on both ends of the floor. We attacked the game and were rewarded for that.”

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The audacity to entrust a group that had played a whopping two minutes together during the regular season and three in the playoffs to keep things afloat was bold in itself, but their individualism stuck out as well. And in a playoff campaign marked by mileage, the Thunder’s belief — and expectation — to maintain equilibrium even with Gilgeous-Alexander has kept them thus far. That lineup, as raw as it was, still had a job to do. Chet Holmgren, having strung together a number of subpar performances, needed an evening filled with confidence, snarl and fight. Jared McCain, who had gone from being discarded at the end of…

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Author : Kelly Iko

Publish date : 2026-05-27 05:48:00

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