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OKLAHOMA CITY — Driving to the basket with Victor Wembanyama dangled all over, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander jammed the brakes. The sudden stop created enough separation as the two-time MVP swished in the baseline jumper as the seven-footer lost his composure and touched the hardwood.
The Oklahoma City Thunder picked up a series-altering 127-114 Game 5 win over the San Antonio Spurs. They get ahead with a 3-2 series lead in the 2026 Western Conference Finals.
Funeral attire was worn. Obituaries were written. Once the Thunder were without Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, they were down one too many ball-handlers to survive San Antonio's suffocating defense. Or so most thought after Game 4's blowout loss. But as we've seen with this NBA playoff series, the emotional roller-coaster always catches most people living in the moment.
Starting with another classic, the Thunder kept things close with the Spurs. As elementary as that sounds, slow starts have plagued OKC throughout this series. And with another starting lineup change, they managed to play with good energy from the jump.
The Thunder held a 29-27 lead after the first quarter. With the ball zipping around, the second unit rolled over their momentum in the second frame. Alex Caruso found Jaylin Williams on a quick touch-pass for the outside jumper. That opened up some badly-needed breathing room for OKC at 39-30.
The offense continued to hum along. Caruso crossed over his defender to get to the cup. Finally, Chet Holmgren looked like an All-NBA talent. Gilgeous-Alexander joined him for the party. Those two have been plastered all over milk cartons for most of this epic clash.
For the first time in this series, the Thunder opened the scoring floodgates. They scored an unreal 40 points in the second quarter alone. They entered halftime with a 69-58 lead over the Spurs — the video-game-esque half was quite the change-up from Game 4's low-scoring slugfest.
Continuing to pour it on, the Thunder scored the first nine points to open the second half. Lounging over to gain separation, Gilgeous-Alexander knocked down another baseline jumper within Wembanyama's reach. That put OKC ahead 78-58 with a little over nine minutes left in the third quarter. It was OKC's biggest lead of the night and on the cusp of blowing this open.
Instead, the Spurs settled down. An immediate 14-2 run made things interesting. The Thunder saw their offense suddenly dry up. San Antonio's ball movement discovered open shooters everywhere around the perimeter. Julian Champagnie was on fire, but Keldon Johnson had his first big positive moment of the series when he made it an 85-73 ballgame with under seven minutes to go in the third frame.
In a few blinks of the eye, the Thunder were almost back to square one. Guess that explains why the Spurs were a 62-win NBA monster. Seldom do you just blow them out and see them wave the white flag — even with a steady 20-point lead in the second half.
Eventually, the Spurs got it to within single-digit points. Devin Vassell's outside jumper made it 87-79. Uh oh. It's one thing to see your lead slowly melt away. But for it to happen within the same quarter you built it up? Even that's disastrous for your average meltdown. The Thunder kept the damage to a minimum with 32 points in the third frame.
At that juncture of the game, the Thunder had a 101-91 lead through three quarters. Jared McCain proved OKC to be a bunch of geniuses with its bold decision to start him. He caught fire in the second half. If it wasn't his jumper feathering through, his drives to the basket yielded buckets. Putting San Antonio away, his flamethrowing-esque scoring talent stiff-armed them on the scoreboard.
Down Williams and Mitchell, Gilgeous-Alexander and friends returned to the formula to get this series-altering win. Everybody pitched in to make up for their top-end talent absences. The Thunder had 26 points in the fourth quarter to put the final touches on this program-backing victory.
The Thunder shot 48% from the field and went 14-of-32 (43.8%) from 3. They shot 33-of-38 on free throws. They had 26 assists on 40 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 30 points and nine rebounds. Holmgren bounced back with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Caruso exploded for 22 points and six assists off the bench. McCain scored 20 points in the start. Isaiah Hartenstein had a 12-point, 15-rebound double-double.
Meanwhile, the Spurs shot 40% from the field and went 12-of-41 (29.3%) from 3. They shot 28-of-32 on free throws. They had 25 assists on 37 baskets. Four Spurs players scored double-digit points.
Wembanyama was held to 20 points and six rebounds. Stephon Castle had 24 points and six assists. Champagnie popped off for 22 points and eight rebounds. Johnson scored 15 points.
Somehow, the Thunder keep doing it. No matter the set of characters, they always find avenues to big-time wins. If they were to drop the next two, I don't think most would've been too mad. Can't overcome Williams' and Mitchell's extended absences against the Spurs. At least that's what it says on paper. But in a legacy moment, Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren answered the call. Unreal.
It was legacy time and both All-NBA players plus reserves stepped up. You can't always materialize what it means to have championship DNA, but OKC flexed it in this one. Now, they're a win away from back-to-back NBA Finals trips. All while being without Williams for most of this NBA playoff run. Just wow. They're about as plot-armor-esque as any team has been in recent years.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A
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Analyzing the halfcourt, Gilgeous-Alexander decided to go solo. With Champagnie in front of him, the reigning MVP went with his signature stepback 3-pointer. Swish. A little over two minutes into the second half, he forced the Spurs to call a timeout as he finally found a scoring groove.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 32 points on 7-of-19 shooting, nine assists and two rebounds. He shot 2-of-3 from 3 and went 16-of-17 on free throws. He also had two steals.
Welcome to the 2026 Western Conference Finals, Gilgeous-Alexander. Took you a minute to arrive, but you finally reached your destination. In one of the highest-pressure moments of his career, he delivered with a big-time performance and big-time win — per usual.
It took Gilgeous-Alexander a little bit to get going, but he finally did. Once he got his turnovers out of his system, he owed his Thunder teammates some stellar basketball. Especially down Williams and Mitchell. And in a now-or-never situation, he eventually pulled through as he wore down San Antonio's defense. Maybe not from the field, per se, but definitely in the scoring column.
Gilgeous-Alexander's jumper wasn't a frequent visitor, but showed up when it mattered — ala your favorite cousin showing up to your graduation. He scored 19 points in the first half. He one-upped himself with 11 additional points in the third quarter alone.
While the jumpers seldom swished through, he showed guts by going right at Wembanyama. Something the Thunder haven't really done a whole lot this series. But if you're going down in a super-duper important Game 5, you might as well go down swinging. He emptied the tank. Constant drives to the basket resulted in a high-volume free-throw night that will surely dominate NBA Twitter discourse the next day.
What should be OKC's rebuttal? If you don't want him at the free-throw line, quit fouling him. That simple. Regardless, Gilgeous-Alexander stepped up when it mattered most. The folks in Metropolis wondered when Superman would save the day. He finally did so at the 11th hour when things looked most dire because of continued bad health luck.
️ Chet Holmgren: A
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Catching the ball at the top of the key, Holmgren had zero doubt about his next move. With Luke Kornet on him, the All-NBA player kept him on an island as he power-dribbled his way to the rim. He fought through contact and being off-balance as he banked in the impressive driving layup.
Holmgren finished with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, 11 rebounds and one assist. He shot 0-of-1 from 3 and went 4-of-4 on free throws. He also had one block and one steal.
Now that's what I'm talking about. For the first time in this series, Holmgren looked like one of the league's 15 best players. Not an expensive version of Alex Len. Finally snapping out of his funk, he amped up his aggressiveness from the jump. A couple of mid-range jumpers falling through was enough for him to feel himself.
Holmgren had 14 points in the first half. That helped the Thunder get ahead of the Spurs after falling behind early. Moving along to help OKC's offense, he was the recipient of several play-finishes around the paint. The same type of plays that helped him put up monster numbers in the first two rounds of the NBA playoffs.
Not even a sly bump from Wembanyama could deter Holmgren. He knew what the Thunder needed out of him. And he more than delivered. Say what you want about some of his low-lights that go viral on social media, but he's been a winner across every level of basketball for a reason. This was the latest example as OKC's two All-NBA players looked like All-NBA players simultaneously.
got the green light to take off early pic.twitter.com/n30EcfNvfC
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 27, 2026
Jared McCain: A-plus
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As De'Aaron Fox grabbed his arm from behind, McCain flung up a one-handed prayer that banked in. The 360-no-scope and-one layup had the OKC crowd agasp. Once again, the 22-year-old gladly stepped into the improbable hero role for the Thunder.
McCain finished with 20 points on 7-of-19 shooting and three rebounds. He shot 3-of-9 from 3 and went 3-of-5 on free throws.
Take a bow, OKC's coaching staff. Your decision to start McCain paid dividends and might've saved their season. The Thunder badly needed secondary offensive juice. Or they risk falling behind from the jump as Gilgeous-Alexander gets blitzed with zero hope of getting bailed out.
Not much happened in the first half. At best, the move was irrelevant. At worst, it added to the muddiness of OKC's offense. But then McCain saw his circus shot somehow fall in. And that was enough for him to get into a roll. He scored an unreal 18 points in the second half.
Hunting his shot, McCain drilled a couple of mid-range jumpers. And then he finally hit an outside shot. As great as he's been this series, his outside jumper has unironically been mostly absent. Doesn't matter. Shooting percentages mean very little to him. As long as he's open, he possesses a quick green light to let it fly.
I mean, this is just storybook stuff, man. The Thunder added McCain at the NBA trade deadline as a luxury. Three months later, he's a necessity. Two 20-point games in the Western Conference Finals show just how much he's accelerated through his career arc. Five months ago, he was in the G League. One month ago, he couldn't even crack OKC's rotation in Round 1 of the NBA playoffs.
Foot on the gas️ https://t.co/Y4zHc4blgNpic.twitter.com/kDj9sUjgVe
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 27, 2026
Alex Caruso: A-plus
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Getting the switch on Fox, Caruso bumped into him before he went with the spin move. Seldom do you see the 32-year-old take a handful of dribbles in a game — much less in a single possession. But riding off an unreal amount of adrenaline will make you try crazy things. He pulled up on the fadeaway mid-range jumper that rattled in.
Caruso finished with 22 points on 5-of-10 shooting, six assists and two rebounds. He shot 4-of-8 from 3 and went 8-of-8 on free throws. He also had three steals.
After a one-game absence, Caruso returned to being one of the NBA's biggest postseason risers. That didn't take long. He scored 11 points in the second quarter as OKC's second-unit offense was a well-oiled machine. Knocking down just a couple of jumpers, he did most of his damage at the free-throw line with relentless drives to the cup.
Helping the Thunder serve the first punch, Caruso scored 14 points in the first half. The outside jumper returned to en fuego levels — even with the Spurs playing him straight-up. That should scare San Antonio, as the role player has found a rhythm from the outside.
On the other end, Caruso was once again mayhem personified. The NBA's version of the Tasmanian devil destroyed San Antonio's offensive flow. When he didn't register steals, he had their guards second-guess themselves on their entry passes. An endless supply of energy had him everywhere on the court — almost like he could teleport from spot to spot.
Of course, the Thunder grabbed this win with a group effort. And Caruso's 22 points might fly under the radar. But he's been absolutely phenomenal in these NBA playoffs. You're seeing him add to his basketball mythos that he's one of the greatest winners in the league. Even if his regular-season numbers leave a lot to be desired.
Isaiah Hartenstein: A-plus
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Smashing into Wembanyama underneath the rim, Hartenstein did the unthinkable. He forced San Antonio's NBA superstar to miss a rare shot just feet away from the basket with a textbook block. Sticking with the 28-year-old, the Thunder enjoyed another humongous night from him.
Hartenstein finished with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting, 15 rebounds and four assists. He also had one block.
This is likely the script the Thunder will have to copy one last time to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals. Sure, their two All-NBA guys have to play at their level, but the rest of the group have to pitch in to make up for their absences. Hartenstein was part of that cavalry.
On one end, Hartenstein logged the double-double. His floater has remained a weapon for the Thunder. When that's not falling, his catch radius has made him the perfect lob threat. On the boards, he helped OKC stay on par with San Antonio's size as the second-chance points were limited. He also helped run a glued-together second-unit offense by feeding DHOs to OKC's bench scorers.
And on the other end, Hartenstein once again got the brunt of Wembanyama. It was back to him struggling to stamp his scoring presence with an inefficient night from the seven-footer. Seldom did you feel his domination on the court. Instead, he looked like a 22-year-old going through his first Western Conference Finals.
The Thunder inch closer to getting to another NBA Finals. All without Williams for most of the playoff journey. Not even the biggest OKC homers could've imagined this, if you told them back in April he'd only play two full postseason games. But somehow, the reigning NBA champions have taped together a winning group despite missing important parts. Hartenstein has played a key role in that.
Highlights:
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: SGA and friends lead Thunder to 127-114 Game 5 win over Spurs
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