San Antonio is on the brink of elimination after dropping Game 5 in Oklahoma City. They now enter must-win mode as the series shifts back to the Frost Bank Center.
SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs are officially on the brink of elimination after falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5. They now trail 3-2 the Western Conference Finals as the series shifts back to the Alamo City for Game 6.
Oklahoma City showed why they’re the defending champions of the NBA, calming the Spurs’ storm Tuesday and ultimately winning 127-114. The Thunder nabbed their first double-digit lead midway through the second quarter and never looked back.
Starting with the Spurs, Victor Wembanyama had a rough game for his standards, scoring 20 points but on 4-of-15 shooting while going 0-of-5 from 3-point range. He did make all 12 of his free throws while grabbing six rebounds and blocking three shots.
Stephon Castle also had a solid game, posting 24 points, five rebounds, six assists and three steals. He shot 7-of-11 from the field and 3-of-5 from 3.
Julian Champagnie also had a hot start, scoring 17 points in the first half amid what has been a difficult shooting series. He eventually cooled off and couldn’t find his shot for the majority of the second half, finishing with 22 points, including four 3-pointers and eight rebounds.
Keldon Johnson added 15 off the bench in what was one of his best games of the playoffs.
Everyone else on the Spurs, however, largely struggled. De’Aaron Fox had nine on 4-of-15 shooting, Devin Vassell had an uncharacteristically low six points on 2-of-11 shooting and Dylan Harper had just five points on 1-of-5 shooting.
OKC’s historic defense truly showed in this game. While San Antonio scored 114 points, they only shot 40.2% from the field and 29.3% from 3-point range.
For OKC, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shot 7-of-19 from the field but his 16 free throws propelled him to a game-high 32 points. He also had nine assists but six turnovers.
Alex Caruso, after his zero-point performance in Game 4, exploded for 22 points with four 3-pointers. He’s now averaging 17 points on 58.1% shooting from 3 in the series.
Jared McCain mirrored SGA’s shooting, also going 7-of-19 from the field, resulting in 20 points. Chet Holmgren had 16 and 11 rebounds and Isaiah Hartenstein had 12 and 15 rebounds.
Sprinkle in seven points from Lu Dort, seven from Cason Wallace and eight from Kenrich Williams, and you got yourselves a recipe for a 13-point Oklahoma City win.
Both teams lived at the free throw line: OKC shot 33-of-38 (86.8%) and San Antonio shot 28-of-32 (87.5%). Both clubs also turned the ball over a bunch: OKC had 16 turnovers and San Antonio had 15.
The difference ended up being the hot shooting of the Thunder. The team shot 48.2% from the field and a scorching 43.8% from 3-point range, compared to San Antonio’s 40.2% and 29.3% shooting, respectively.
In the Thunder’s three wins of the series, they’ve shot about 48% from the field in each game. In their two losses, they’ve shot 40.6% and 33%.
In fact, comparing the last two games for the Thunder is like comparing apples and oranges:
- Game 4 in San Antonio: 82 points, 30/91 shooting (33%), 6/33 shooting from the 3-point line (18.2%)
- Game 5 in Oklahoma City: 127 points, 40/83 shooting (48.2%), 14/32 shooting from the 3-point line (43.8%)
That’s a difference of 15 points in field goal percentage and 26 points from beyond the arc over two games where their total offensive output was separated by a 45-point margin.
If there’s proof home-court advantage exists, it’s that.
The good news for the Spurs is the series is shifting back to the Frost Bank Center and the multitude of Spurs fans waiting for them there. Role players tend to play better at home, so you would expect a better output from players like Vassell and Harper.
The bad news is the winner of Game 5 of a 2-2 series go on to win the series 76% of the time, so the odds aren’t exactly in San Antonio’s favor.
But the odds have not been in the Spurs’ favor during this entire playoff run, as teams making their first postseason appearance rarely advance as far as this Spurs core has. If there’s any team that can defy the odds and overcome a 3-2 deficit to the defending champs, it’s this team wearing Silver & Black.
Wemby hasn’t suited up in a playoff game facing elimination in his NBA career yet, and this is where the greats truly stand out when their team’s back is against the wall.
And if Wemby has proven anything this playoff run, he’s turning into one of the greats.
With the health of Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell still up in the air, the Spurs could have the edge at home Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
How to watch
The game will be televised on NBC at 7:30 p.m. and streamed on Peacock. You can also listen to game action on WOAI 1200 and KXTN 1350.
Team stats leaders (playoffs)
- POINTS: Victor Wembanyama (22.9), Stephon Castle (19.5), De’Aaron Fox (17.4)
- REBOUNDS: Wembanyama (11.1), Julian Champagnie (5.8), Dylan Harper (5.2)
- ASSISTS: Castle (6.6), Fox (5.9), Wembanyama (2.8)
- BLOCKS: Wembanyama (3.7), Luke Kornet (0.9), Devin Vassell (0.8)
- POINTS: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (28.0), Jalen Williams* (17.8), Chet Holmgren (16.2)
- REBOUNDS: Isaiah Hartenstein (8.8), Holmgren (8.3), Williams* (4.0)
- ASSISTS: Gilgeous-Alexander (8.2), Ajay Mitchell* (4.3), Williams* (3.3)
- BLOCKS: Holmgren (1.4), Gilgeous-Alexander (0.9), Hartenstein (0.8)
Injury report
As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, here’s where the team’s respective injury reports stack up:
- Nobody listed.
- Jalen Williams – Questionable (left hamstring)
- Ajay Mitchell – Out (right soleus)
- Thomas Sorber – Out (ACL)