Aurélie Sacchelli, Media365: published on Saturday, May 23, 2026 at 08:18
Champion titleholder Oklahoma City managed to triumph 108-123 against San Antonio in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals and now leads 2-1 in the series before Game 4, still in Texas. Victor Wembanyama scored 26 points in this match.
The reigning champion is Oklahoma City, and the Thunder aims to keep the title for another year! After a two-overtime defeat in Game 1 (115-122), OKC bounced back by winning the next two matches against San Antonio, reclaiming the home-court advantage. With a 122-113 victory at home, the Thunder made a strong statement by winning 108-123 in the first match in Texas.
Boosted by the return from injury of De’Aaron Fox (who finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Dylan Harper (6 points and 3 rebounds), the Spurs had a perfect start to the match with a 15-0 lead in 2’30! Unseen in conference finals since the NBA has been detailing games action by action (1997). However, Oklahoma City eventually woke up and only trailed 31-26 after the first quarter. San Antonio then held on until 45-45 in the second quarter before the Thunder took control.
26 points for Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama
OKC led 58-51 at halftime and did not give the Spurs any chance, gradually expanding the lead to +18. The Texans couldn’t keep up, and all the starters were pulled out with two minutes left, sealing the outcome. Double MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led his team with 26 points and 12 assists. In the absence of Jalen Williams, Jared McCain stepped up with 24 points. Chet Holmgren also added 14 points.
On the other side, Victor Wembanyama finished with 26 points and 3 assists, but only grabbed 4 rebounds in 39 minutes, well below his average (11 rebounds since the start of his NBA career). Devin Vassell also scored 20 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. The Spurs’ bench was outperformed by the Thunder’s bench: 76-23! “These are my first playoffs,” Wembanyama said. “It’s the first playoffs for many of us. Of course, there will be tough challenges. That’s normal, but now, we will see what we are capable of.” The first answers will come on Sunday, still in San Antonio.
