The San Antonio Spurs returned to the Frost Bank Center on Friday, May 22, 2026, to face the Oklahoma City Thunder for Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference finals following a highly physical split in Oklahoma.
The series shifted to San Antonio after the Thunder responded to a double-overtime thriller in Game 1 by securing a victory in Game 2 on Wednesday.
San Antonio guard Stephon Castle highlighted the second quarter of the Game 2 loss by executing a powerful dunk over Oklahoma City big man Isaiah Hartenstein.
Castle finished Game 2 with 25 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and nine turnovers.
Combined with his 11 turnovers in the opening game, Castle committed 20 total turnovers over the two-game span, setting an NBA playoff record.
The 21-year-old guard addresses his recent ball-handling struggles on the offensive end while maintaining an aggressive approach.
Over 12 postseason games, Castle has averaged 19.7 points, 6.5 assists, and five rebounds while serving as the primary perimeter defender for the Spurs.
“He’s quiet,” said De’Aaron Fox, San Antonio Spurs point guard.
Fox, who missed the first two games of the series due to an ankle injury, emphasized that Castle routinely takes on difficult assignments on the court regardless of the opponent.
“Man,” Fox said, “he takes on any matchup. It could be a big man.
It could be point guard. He’s able to do pretty much everything on the court, especially when he’s shooting the ball (well).
It’s already hard to stop him. … He’s so unselfish.
He screens. He plays (dribble handoffs).
He gets downhill. He catches-and-shoots.
He gets to the free-throw line.
He does so many things on the court that even when he’s not making shots, he’s still affecting the game in a positive way.”
The physical defensive performance by Castle limited Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to 2-of-8 shooting from the field in Game 1, though Gilgeous-Alexander converted 6-of-10 shots against Castle in Game 2.
“Just really speeding myself up,” Castle said.
The guard expressed a need to slow down his decision-making process during offensive possessions moving forward.
“I’ve got to be better and cleaner. … I have to take my time a lot more on the offensive end.
Try and make the simple read as much as I can.”
Castle has averaged 20.1 points overall during the playoffs, totaling 42 points in this series despite making only 2-of-12 attempts from beyond the three-point arc.
“Our intensity and our aggressiveness goes up a level,” Castle said.
Spurs rookie point guard Dylan Harper praised the relentless mentality his teammate brings to the floor during high-stakes games.
“He’s definitely built like that,” Harper said.
Harper noted that Castle consistently plays with a fearless approach regardless of the competition.
“It don’t matter who we play. I think he’s fearless.
I think just relentless in whatever he does, and he’s gon’ pick you up every time and he’s gon’ do whatever you gotta do to win.
So I mean that kind of relentlessness he has is, I think, unmatched.”
