Oklahoma City and San Antonio head into Okc Vs Spurs Game 3 tied 1-1 after the Thunder’s 122-113 win in Game 2 evened the Western Conference Finals. The next game is set for Friday in San Antonio at 8:30 ET on NBC and Peacock, with both teams already dealing with injuries that have reshaped the series.
Jalen Williams did not finish Game 2. He left with left hamstring tightness and missed the final three quarters after already sitting out two first-round games against Phoenix and all four conference semifinal games against the Los Angeles Lakers because of a strain to the same hamstring. On the other side, De’Aaron Fox missed the first two games of the series because of right ankle soreness, and Dylan Harper started in his place before leaving for the final 16 minutes and 50 seconds of Game 2 with a right leg injury.
The Thunder have been the deeper team so far, and the numbers show it. Oklahoma City’s bench has outscored San Antonio’s bench 107-41 through two games, while the Spurs have handed the ball over 23 times in Game 1 and 21 times in Game 2. Those turnovers turned directly into 55 points for the Thunder, including 28 points off giveaways in Monday’s double-overtime loss and 27 more in the Game 2 win. That margin has been one of the clearest reasons the series is even instead of leaning toward San Antonio.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson has not hidden the strain of playing shorter and leaning on a deeper bench than usual. He said the team has to trust its depth and have players answer the bell when their number is called. He also said the group has to execute as fatigue builds and physical play ramps up, calling the challenge mental, physical and emotional over the full 48 minutes. Johnson added that Fox re-aggravated the ankle in the second round against the Minnesota Timberwolves and said Fox would be a game-time decision for the rest of the playoffs.
That uncertainty matters more now because Game 3 often decides the shape of a series. In best-of-seven playoff series tied 1-1, the Game 3 winner goes on to take the series 73.2% of the time. Oklahoma City has also shown it can survive without Williams, going 45-10 this season when he did not play. The Thunder have already proven they can win possessions at the right time, and San Antonio has already shown it can still punch back, even while shuffling bodies and searching for clean minutes from players outside its normal rotation. Friday’s game will tell which side can hold up when the series turns from survival to control.
