Push their defense a little bit more, to fight further and see how much they're willing to help off of my teammates and feed them."
The Thunder withstood San Antonio's initial 15-0 run, the longest unanswered opening run in conference finals since 1997.
"We just went out there and competed," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "They obviously jumped on us early.
First game in their building, their crowd behind them, they were excited to play. We just wanted to make sure we competed from that point on."
Devin Vassell scored 20 points for San Antonio, and De'Aaron Fox added 15 in his series debut.
>>> Tuchel Adds Nwaneri to England's World Cup Training Camp
Tensions escalated in the second half when Stephon Castle fell during consecutive dunk attempts, resulting in a flagrant 1 foul against Ajay Mitchell and technical fouls for Mitchell and Vassell.
