Thunder Sent An Early Warning About Just How Dangerous They Look

Despite strong defensive efforts from Victor Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs couldn't keep up with the Oklahoma City Thunder's blistering offense and key contributions from role players in their conference finals showdown.

The Oklahoma City Thunder made a point early in their Western Conference Finals rematch with the San Antonio Spurs and never really let go of it. Behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s all-around brilliance and a huge lift from the supporting cast, the 2025 champions rolled to a 116-104 win and built a lead that got as big as 26 points.

Gilgeous-Alexander topped everyone with 32 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals, and three blocks. Jared McCain was just as eye-catching in a different way, burying six threes and finishing with 20 points in only 22 minutes off the bench.

San Antonio had some numbers that usually help keep a game competitive - more points in the paint and more blocks - but Oklahoma City’s shot-making and pace ended up overwhelming them. The Spurs never found a clean offensive rhythm, and Victor Wembanyama endured a rough night by his standards.

The most obvious separator was the three-point line. Oklahoma City went 14-for-31 from deep, a blistering 45.2%, while San Antonio hit just 10 of 37 attempts, good for 27.0%. That 18.2% gap tilted the game sharply in the Thunder’s favor and forced the Spurs to chase offense instead of dictating it.

McCain was the biggest problem for San Antonio on that front. He shot 7-for-9 overall and 6-for-8 from three, giving Oklahoma City a burst the Spurs couldn’t match.

San Antonio got 24 points from Stephon Castle, who knocked down five triples, and 18 from Dylan Harper, but the rest of the perimeter game never came close to matching Oklahoma City’s efficiency. Wembanyama missed all four of his threes, De’Aaron Fox went 0-for-2, and Devin Vassell made just one of four.

Wembanyama’s defensive presence still showed up in a big way, but offensively it was one of the toughest nights he’s had so far. He finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, one steal, and six blocks, but he shot 1-for-13 from the field.

His 10-for-12 night at the line kept the final scoring line from looking even worse, but the missed shots piled up fast. He also turned it over four times.

That kind of night from a player who usually anchors so much of San Antonio’s offense put the Spurs in a bind. His blocks and rebounds mattered, but the scoring burden became harder for everyone else to carry when the field goals stopped falling.

Oklahoma City’s depth made the gap wider. McCain’s 20 points were the obvious headline, but Alex Caruso chipped in nine points, seven rebounds, two steals, and a +16 plus-minus.

Aday Mara added seven points on 3-for-4 shooting, and Ajay Mitchell supplied four points and six assists in 23 minutes. The Thunder didn’t need Gilgeous-Alexander to create everything by himself.

San Antonio had some useful bench minutes too. Keldon Johnson scored 10 points, and Julian Champagnie added eight points, two steals, and three blocks.

Still, the Spurs never got the kind of bench eruption Oklahoma City received, and that showed up everywhere, especially from long range. McCain alone hit six threes, which matched 60% of the Spurs’ total makes from deep.

The Thunder also made life miserable in transition. They outscored the Spurs 31-12 in fast-break points, a huge difference in a game where Oklahoma City repeatedly turned defensive pressure into quick offense.

The teams each committed 14 turnovers, and San Antonio actually finished with more points in the paint, 48-42. But the Thunder were far more ruthless when chances opened up.

Oklahoma City forced eight steals and added nine blocks, using that disruption to keep San Antonio from settling in. Even in a game where the Spurs held a 47-45 edge on the glass and both teams grabbed 10 offensive rebounds, the Thunder still found the cleaner, faster, more efficient answers. San Antonio had 11 blocks to Oklahoma City’s nine, but the numbers that mattered most belonged to the champs.

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