Jeff Zillgitt, reporting for NBA.COM;
The Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t reach 69 points in Game 4 until 5:04 remained in the game.
They matched that total by halftime of Game 5 as the Thunder constructed their best offensive game of the Western Conference Finals and defeated the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 Tuesday for a 3-2 series lead.
Two-time Kia MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander overcame a turnover-plagued start and scored at least 30 points for the second time in the series; the Thunder’s two 7-footers, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein produced offensively and limited Victor Wembanyama’s dominance in the paint; and Thunder coach Mark Daigneault’s change to the lineup paid dividends for the starters and the bench.
Playing with the force that Daigneault said was missing in their Game 4 loss, the defending champions are one victory from a return trip to the NBA Finals.
This series has become a classic where neither team does not want to give up and neither coach does run out of adjustment to make. It’ll be interesting what adjustment will the Spurs make in game 6, to extend this to a winner take all game 7.
