San Antonio Spurs beat Oklahoma City Thunder 122-115 on the road on Monday, May 18 after multiple overtimes.
The game, quarter by quarter
The teams matched each other with 27 points apiece in the first quarter, leaving it level at 27. The Spurs moved in front with a 24-17 second quarter, carrying a 7-point lead into halftime.
The teams matched each other with 29 points apiece in the third quarter, so the Spurs remained ahead by 7 entering the fourth. The Thunder answered with a 28-21 fourth quarter, forcing overtime at 101.
Neither side gave ground in overtime, scoring 7 each, but the game was still tied at 108 and needed another period. The Spurs finally separated the teams in the 2nd overtime, winning it 14-7 to close out a 122-115 victory.
What decided it
The Spurs grabbed 32.6% of their own misses, while the Thunder recovered 16.4%. The Spurs made 28.1 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 15.8 for the Thunder. The second chances kept adding up.
The Thunder did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 12.2 against 18.3. The Spurs made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 115 possessions per team, the Spurs produced 106.5 points per 100 possessions to 100.4 for the Thunder.
Who stepped up
Victor Wembanyama was the game's biggest individual force for SAS: 41 pts, 24 reb, 3 ast, 3 blk on 14-25 shooting. His Game Score of 40.1 led everyone. His team was +16 with him on the floor.
Alex Caruso led the Thunder with 31 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast on 11-19 shooting, good for a 22.8 Game Score.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (24 pts, 3 reb, 12 ast), Victor Wembanyama (41 pts, 24 reb, 3 ast), and Dylan Harper (24 pts, 11 reb, 6 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 38% for the Spurs.
Across the last 8 meetings in our records, San Antonio Spurs lead 5-3.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.