The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday night.
The win gives the Thunder a 3-2 series lead, putting them one victory away from the NBA Finals.
Oklahoma City bounced back from a 21-point loss in Game 4. The Thunder scored 40 points in the second quarter to seize control of the game.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 32 points. Alex Caruso added 22 points off the bench, including four 3-pointers.
Jared McCain, making his first playoff start, scored 20 points.
Chet Holmgren contributed 16 points and 11 rebounds. Isaiah Hartenstein recorded 12 points and 15 rebounds.
For San Antonio, Stephon Castle scored 24 points. Julian Champagnie had 22 points.
Victor Wembanyama was held to 20 points on 4-of-15 shooting. The Spurs struggled from beyond the arc, missing 29 of their 41 3-point attempts.
The second quarter featured a heavy parade to the free-throw line, with the teams combining to make 29 free throws.
In the third quarter, the Thunder built a 20-point lead, but the Spurs cut it to eight points amid officiating controversies.
A tip-in attempt by Luke Kornet was swatted away by Cason Wallace in what appeared to be goaltending, and a subsequent out-of-bounds call off Holmgren was awarded to Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma City maintained a double-digit lead for nearly the entire fourth quarter, entering the period ahead 101-91.
The winner of this series will face the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 3.
"We obviously played a lot better, in terms of our process and then also the outcome," said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault.
"It's a playoff series.
If you look at any playoff series that goes to six games, at least, there's going to be some tough games.
We had a tough game the other night."
Daigneault credited his roster for maintaining focus and adjusting effectively after their previous defeat.
"This team does a great job of just coming back in the next day in a very neutral way, taking whatever the lessons are, applying them forward and getting into the next opportunity," he said.
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander noted that the team returned to its identity. "We just played to who we were tonight," he said.
He also highlighted the improvement shown by the team following their previous loss. "We definitely got better from the last game."
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson expressed frustration after attempting to challenge an out-of-bounds call late in the third quarter but being penalized with a technical foul by referee Tony Brothers instead.
"They just said they didn't see me," said Johnson.
Johnson acknowledged that his team needs to perform at a higher level defensively and execution-wise to compete with Oklahoma City on the road.
"It just felt like it was a little bit of everything in terms of we did not put ourselves in position enough to be successful on each possession," he said.
"And so, to beat a team of this calibre, in their building, with the stakes, we'll need to be a lot better to give yourself a chance."
Game 6 is scheduled for Thursday night in San Antonio. The Spurs must win to force a deciding Game 7 back in Oklahoma City on Saturday.
