After an absolute dogfight in Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder have leveled the Western Conference Finals at 1-1; Yankee Scores reports…
And the MVP was once again back to his usual self, while the Western Conference Finals series is now tied.
The MVP Reclaims His Identity
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recorded a score of 30 points following an awful start from the first game, Alex Caruso came in with 17 points from the bench, while the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs in a score of 122-113 last Wednesday night during their second game in the Western Conference Final series.
Turn us up, 3️⃣! pic.twitter.com/4smDvYiXba
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 21, 2026
Chet Holmgren provided 13 points, while fellow teammates Jared McCain and Cason Wallace both managed 12 points.
“I thought we all played better,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “I had a quiet confidence about that and didn’t know if we’d win or lose the game, but I was pretty sure after watching Game 1 and knowing our team that we were going to come out and play better tonight.”
Stephon Castle scored 25 points for the Spurs. Devin Vassell scored 22 points, and Victor Wembanyama recorded 21 points, 17 rebounds, six assists, and four blocks.
The next game takes place on Friday in San Antonio.
“The guys brought it tonight,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Knowing what it would have meant if we lost this one, we brought the energy from the jump.”
Although Isaiah Hartenstein was not even on the floor in the opening game, he ended up with 10 points and 13 rebounds, helping the Thunder record an impressive 14-5 after suffering defeat earlier in the season, having beaten the Spurs only twice in their seven encounters previously.
Long range rangers 🤠 https://t.co/JuMOvuhDZM pic.twitter.com/FCwf3qSIPg
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 21, 2026
There were casualties on both teams’ benches, however, with Oklahoma City losing Jalen Williams to tightness in his left hamstring early in the first period, following his already being forced to miss six postseason contests because of the injury. Whether Williams will be fit enough to face the challenge on Friday is yet to be seen.
Looming Backcourt Casualties for Game 3
It is a similar situation in San Antonio after the loss of Dylan Harper, who was supposed to take the injured All-Star, De’Aaron Fox’s place in the starting five but left the pitch midway through the third quarter after falling several times in the process of his tight right leg.
Coach Mitch Johnson did not provide any updates on the matter, but said that having one less guard makes the game particularly tough on those who remain.
Goin’ floating with Hart 🕴️ pic.twitter.com/pcMhe2XOST
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 21, 2026
“Obviously this team is as good as anybody at turning you over, so when you’re down some of your primary creators and initiators it causes a little bit of an extra strain, whether that’s who to play, what to play, what to run, etc., etc.,” Johnson said. “We’ll just have to be sharper in that area because it’s tough fully loaded against these guys.”
Series Tied
The Spurs entered the fourth quarter trailing by eight points after being down by 11 at halftime and scored on the very first possession of the period to get to within nine. But an 11-0 run by the Thunder, which included a banked three-pointer from McCain in the midst of that run, put them up 13.
But then the Spurs came back with a strong response yet again despite their struggles with turnovers and lacking Fox and Harper in that late run. They made it a six-point game, 118-113, when Wembanyama scored in the paint with 1:25 to go, but then Gilgeous-Alexander hit one more basket, securing the tie series.
“We’ve got to help our ballhandlers more and take care of the ball,” Wembanyama said.
