Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the San Antonio Spurs 122-113 in Game 2 on Wednesday to knot the nba playoffs Western Conference finals at 1-1. Oklahoma City answered its Game 1 loss with a cleaner scoring balance and pushed the series back to level before it shifts to San Antonio on Friday.
Gilgeous-Alexander Sets The Pace
The Thunder needed the top end of their offense, and Gilgeous-Alexander delivered it after a subpar opener. He scored 30 points, giving Oklahoma City a steady lead option in a game the Spurs tried to pull back late.
His 30-point night was his 27th career postseason game with at least 30 for the Thunder, moving him past Russell Westbrook's 26 and behind Kevin Durant's 39. That is the sort of production Oklahoma City leaned on after dropping Game 1 and needing a response before the series turned.
Alex Caruso added 17 points off the bench, while Chet Holmgren scored 13, Jared McCain had 12 and Cason Wallace added 12. Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds as Oklahoma City kept getting useful minutes beyond its main scorer.
Oklahoma City Won The Margin Battle
Bench scoring tilted heavily toward Oklahoma City, 57-25. The Thunder also held a 27-10 edge in points off turnovers, which turned San Antonio mistakes into the kind of extra possessions that kept the lead intact.
San Antonio still had its chances. Stephon Castle scored 25 points, Devin Vassell added 22 and Victor Wembanyama posted 21 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and four blocks, but the Spurs could not fully finish the push after trailing by 11 at halftime and by eight entering the fourth quarter.
Harrison Barnes trimmed the gap with a corner 3-pointer at 9:06 left to make it 99-97, but Oklahoma City answered with an 11-0 run and moved back in front. That stretch ended the Spurs' best late look at taking control.
Injuries Thinned San Antonio
Jalen Williams left in the first half with a recurrence of a hamstring issue, and the Thunder said he had tightness. San Antonio was already without De'Aaron Fox because of ankle soreness, then lost Dylan Harper in the third quarter to a right leg injury.
That left both coaches working with shortened options, but Oklahoma City still improved to 14-5 after a loss this season and beat the Spurs for just the second time in seven meetings. Game 3 is scheduled for Friday in San Antonio, and the series now swings west with the margin reset to one game apiece.
