Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder outlast Spurs to reach brink of NBA Finals

Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder outlast Spurs to reach brink of NBA FinalsShai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder are a win away from a return to the finals after Game 5 victory.Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 to move within one win of a return to the NBA Finals on Tuesday.Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder punished an error-strewn performance by San Antonio to claim a victory which leaves the reigning NBA champions 3-2 up with two games remaining in the Western Conference finals.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Former Arsenal midfielder Partey named in Ghana squad ahead of World Cuplist 2 of 4World Cup dark horses: Haaland leads Norway’s hopes after 28-year absencelist 3 of 4What are the 10 biggest FIFA World Cup upsets in history?list 4 of 4Visit all the World Cup 2026 stadiumsThis article will be opened in a new browser windowend of listSan Antonio had leveled the series at 2-2 with a battling performance on Sunday but never got going in a lacklustre game five display at Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center.Spurs player Victor Wembanyama had a miserable shooting night, scoring 20 points but making just 4-of-15 attempts from the field while grabbing only six rebounds.Spurs forward Devin Vassell also had a night to forget, scoring just six points from 2-of-11 shooting after averaging 17 points in the opening four games of the series.Oklahoma City will head to San Antonio for Thursday’s game six with a chance to clinch the series after a typically clinical performance, recovering from a slow start to seal a deserved win.Gilgeous-Alexander was one of five Thunder players to finish in double figures, with Alex Caruso scoring 22 from the bench, including four three-pointers, and Jared McCain impressing with 20 points.Chet Holmgren had 16 points with 11 rebounds, while Isaiah Hartenstein had 12 points with 15 rebounds.“I might have had the worst start to a basketball game in my career, but the group held it down and kept us in the game,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of a sluggish first quarter by the Thunder that saw San Antonio jump into an early eight-point lead.