LOS ANGELES (AFP) — 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 National Basketball Association (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.
San Antonio had leveled the series at 2-2 with a battling performance on Sunday but never got going in a lackluster Game 5 display at Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center.
Spurs star 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.
