Oklahoma City Thunder Emphasise Teamwork After Slow Start In Game 5 Western Conference Finals

Oklahoma City Thunder moved within one win of the NBA Finals after a 127-114 Game 5 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, taking a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 32 points and nine assists, supported by strong displays from Alex Caruso and Jared McCain.

Caruso came off the bench to post 22 points, six assists and three steals, while McCain contributed 20 points as a surprise inclusion in the Oklahoma City Thunder starting line-up, and during Caruso’s 28 minutes on the floor, the Thunder outscored the Spurs by 18 points, underlining how the supporting cast influenced Game 5.

Caruso explained that limiting reliance on one scorer was essential for the Oklahoma City Thunder against the Spurs’ defence, emphasising that the offensive burden had to be shared across the roster and that the group trusted each other to make timely plays on both ends across the conference finals contest.

"It's going to take more than just Shai to beat [the Spurs], to beat any team at this point," Caruso said. "He's No. 1 on the scouting report every game we've played since I've been here. Might get up into like 40 [points], but we're not getting an easy 40, 50. He's going to get somewhere 25 to 35 and work hard for it. There's a bunch of other points and other plays to be made through the game for the team to make. And it's just about being confident in each other and going out there and playing."

Although the final box score highlighted Gilgeous-Alexander’s production, the Oklahoma City Thunder guard needed time to settle, missing the first four field-goal attempts, committing three turnovers early and watching the Spurs match Oklahoma City basket for basket until the final seconds of the opening quarter of Game 5.

Oklahoma City stayed close despite that start, and with 31.2 seconds left in the first period, the reigning back-to-back MVP finally scored, tying the game and shifting the momentum towards the Oklahoma City Thunder, giving the home crowd a lift and allowing the offence to find a more controlled rhythm.

"I always say we're a team out there," said Gilgeous-Alexander. "We don't get this far. I don't have this individual success,this team doesn't have the success without all 15 guys in the locker room. We proved it. If it was four or five me's out there, we would've been down 20 after the first quarter. But the guys were great to start the game. I probably should never start like that again and give us a better chance to win a ballgame, but the guys held it down."

The Oklahoma City Thunder victory places the reigning NBA champions 3-2 ahead in the Western Conference finals and one win from returning to the NBA Finals for a meeting with the New York Knicks, with Game 5 showing both Gilgeous-Alexander’s resilience and the depth that supported Oklahoma City across the floor.