Thunder down Spurs to move to within one win of NBA Finals

SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER SCORED 32 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 to move within one win of a return to the NBA Finals on Tuesday.

Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder punished an error-strewn performance by San Antonio to claim a victory which leaves the reigning NBA champions 3-2 up with two games remaining in the Western Conference finals.

Advertisement

San Antonio had levelled the series at 2-2 with a battling performance on Sunday but never got going in a lacklustre game five display at Oklahoma City’s Paycom Centre.

Spurs star Victor Wembanyama had a miserable shooting night, scoring 20 points but making just 4-of-15 attempts from the field while grabbing only six rebounds.

Spurs forward Devin Vassell also had a night to forget, scoring just six points from 2-of-11 shooting after averaging 17 points in the opening four games of the series.

Oklahoma City will head to San Antonio for Thursday’s game six with a chance to clinch the series after a typically clinical performance, recovering from a slow start to seal a deserved win.

Gilgeous-Alexander was one of five Thunder players to finish in double figures, with Alex Caruso scoring 22 from the bench including four three-pointers and Jared McCain impressing with 20 points.

Chet Holmgren had 16 points with 11 rebounds, while Isaiah Hartenstein had 12 points with 15 rebounds.