OKLAHOMA CITY — The buzzer to end the first quarter sounded and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shuffled toward the Thunder huddle, frustration painted across his face. Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, a surging San Antonio team in front of him and Gilgeous-Alexander could not have started it any worse: 1 of 5 from the floor, three turnovers. “If it was five me’s out there,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, “we would have been down 20.” Two days after one of the worst losses in Oklahoma City’s playoff history and suddenly its two-time MVP was malfunctioning.
The Thunder are more than Gilgeous-Alexander, as he often points out. And on Tuesday, they proved it. Chet Holmgren had eight first-quarter points. Cason Wallace popped off the bench to chip in with four. In the second quarter, Alex Caruso ripped off 11. That’s when Gilgeous-Alexander got going. He scored 12 points in seven second-quarter minutes, propelling Oklahoma City to a lead it wouldn’t give up in a 127–114 win over the Spurs.
