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The Thunder found themselves in a hole four minutes into their Game 3 matchup against the Spurs. Oklahoma City, the side known for its scorching runs, fell behind by 15 points amid a barrage of San Antonio baskets. For a moment, it looked as if the Spurs were going to turn the tide in their Western Conference Finals series in front of their home fans.
The Thunder kept their nerve, though. Their shots started to fall, even if Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s didn’t. By the time the dust settled on the contest, Oklahoma City had outscored its opponent by 30 points, cruising to a 123-108 win.
With that, here’s what you need to know about the Thunder’s eye-catching comeback on Friday night.
How Thunder overcame 15-0 hole to win Game 3
Oklahoma City was confronted by the sort of blitz its known for producing to start Game 3. San Antonio dropped 15 unanswered points to start the contest, the joint-second-longest run to start a conference finals matchup in the play-by-play era (since 1998).
The Spurs' 15-0 run to start the game is the longest run to start a conference finals game in the play-by play era (since 1997-98) 🔥 pic.twitter.com/bbuFEttS1G
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) May 23, 2026The Thunder were unfazed by their torpidity at the start of the matchup. Isaiah Hartenstein broke Oklahoma City's duck with a floater at the 8:06 mark of the first quarter. Then, the baskets started falling -- the Thunder outscored the Spurs by 23 to take control of the scoreboard come the end of the first half.
Here's a look at the factors that helped Oklahoma City pull out in front -- and stay there.
Jaylin Williams
Williams was key to the Thunder's comeback, tallying a postseason career-high 18 points to help pace Oklahoma City's bench. He found his touch from three on back-to-back possessions, cutting the Thunder's deficit to just five.
It was a premonition of what was to come from Williams, a career 38.7% shooter from beyond the arc. Williams sank five triples on the day, including a back-breaking four-point play that put Oklahoma City up 14.
JAYLIN WILLIAMS AND 1‼️ pic.twitter.com/9w9IXBnPxr
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 23, 2026Jared McCain
Like William, McCain was asked to step up in a major way amid Jalen Williams' absence. He did just that on Friday night, producing arguably the best performance of his young career to power Oklahoma City's bench.
Jared McCain recorded 24 points off the bench, the second-highest tally for a Thunder player behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He did all of that while having a modest shooting day by his own standards—McCain only hit two of his 10 three-point attempts.
Simply put, McCain was a force inside the arc, beating defenders on back cuts to get to the rim while showcasing impressive touch on his mid-range shots. He even went at Victor Wembanyama, using his leverage to shrug off the hulking Frenchman and finish with aplomb at the rim.
Jared McCain has become incredibly important at work during this series and I appreciate how game he is. pic.twitter.com/ULXdSKpJ5g
— Nekias (Nuh-KAI-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) May 23, 2026It took some time for McCain to get used to Mark Daigneault's setup. But with a +28 in 24 minutes of action, he looks to have found a role as one of Oklahoma City's leading contributors off the bench.
Bench scoring
Williams and McCain were arguably the Thunder's standout players on Friday night. But they weren't alone in offering valuable contributions off the bench for Oklahoma City. The Thunder's bench scored a franchise-record 76 points against the Spurs.
The OKC bench OUTSCORED the starters in the Game 3 win over the Spurs 😳
That's the franchise record for most bench points in the playoffs ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/pkSEejtZId
Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace tallied 15 and 11 points, respectively, while harassing the likes of Stephon Castle and De'Aaron Fox. All told, it was just the sort of bench display Oklahoma City has been renowned for in recent campaigns. And it was just what the Thunder needed to outscore San Antonio by 30 points in the final 44 minutes of Game 3.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander game 3 stats vs Spurs
- Minutes: 36
- Points: 26
- Rebounds: 2
- Assists: 12
- Steals: 0
- Blocks: 1
- TOs: 2
- PF: 2
- FG: 6-17
- 3P: 2-4
- FT: 12-12
Gilgeous-Alexander found points hard to come by on Friday night. He failed to score in the first quarter -- only the second time he has been held scoreless across the opening frame in the past four seasons.
Gilgeous-Alexander's failed to surpass 36% shooting for the fourth time this postseason, clanking 11 of his 17 attempts. Despite his toils -- at least as far as efficiency is concerned -- the reigning MVP canned all 12 of his attempts from the free throw line. He was also remarkably unfazed as the Spurs sent double teams in the hopes of blighting his impact, producing 12 assists to just two turnovers.
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