OKC Thunder move within one win of NBA Finals after 127-114 victory over San Antonio

The defending champions responded after a Game 4 drubbing. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32, Caruso added 22 off the bench. Game 6 Thursday in San Antonio with Spurs facing elimination.

Photo: Christian Petersen / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

The defending champions answered when it mattered most. The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, moving within one victory of a return trip to the NBA Finals.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the home team with 32 points, complemented by a stellar bench performance headlined by Alex Caruso, who scored 22. Jared McCain, making his first playoff start filling in for the sidelined Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, added 20 points.

Chet Holmgren recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Isaiah Hartenstein contributed 12 points and 15 rebounds for the Thunder, who now lead the series 3-2.

For San Antonio, Stephon Castle led all Spurs scorers with 24 points. Julian Champagnie added 22, and Victor Wembanyama finished with 20 points but shot just 4-of-15 from the field. Keldon Johnson scored 15 off the bench. San Antonio missed 29 of its 41 three-point attempts.

The game started poorly for Oklahoma City, which fell behind 16-8 in the opening minutes. But the Thunder quickly responded, scoring 40 points in the second quarter to seize control of the scoreboard — a lead they never relinquished.

"We just played to who we were tonight," Gilgeous-Alexander said, according to postgame coverage.

The first quarter saw no free throws for nearly 10 minutes. But once the parade to the foul line began, it didn't stop. The teams combined to make 29 free throws in the second quarter alone, the most in a second quarter of any NBA game since the bubble playoffs nearly six years ago. The Spurs went 15-for-17 from the line in that period; the Thunder were perfect at 14-for-14.

Oklahoma City built a 20-point lead in the third quarter before San Antonio cut it to eight. The Spurs might have pulled even closer but were visibly frustrated by officiating calls in the final minute of the period. A tip-in attempt by San Antonio's Luke Kornet was knocked off the rim by Oklahoma City's Cason Wallace — a play that should have been ruled goaltending. On the next Spurs possession, an out-of-bounds call that should have gone San Antonio's way — replays showed the ball went off Holmgren — did not. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson tried to challenge the call, was ignored, and received a technical foul for arguing. Oklahoma City took a 101-91 lead into the fourth quarter.

In the final period, the Thunder maintained control. With a 120-106 lead, San Antonio waved the white flag, sending Wembanyama to the bench with 2:13 remaining. He finished with 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals, but was held to 4-of-15 shooting from the field. He made all 12 of his free throw attempts.

Game 6 is Thursday in San Antonio. If a Game 7 is necessary, it will be played Saturday in Oklahoma City. The winner will face the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, scheduled to begin June 3 in the Western Conference representative's city. The Knicks swept the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals.