The louder Frost Bank Center became with each momentum-shifting play in the opening minutes, the darker the cloud of anticipatory anxiety grew.
De’Aaron Fox’s triumphant return to the floor — and Victor Wembanyama’s new embracing of physicality — had invigorated the Spurs. Fox’s immediate injection of speed, tempo control and leadership paired with all things Wembanyama became the catalyst of a blistering 19-4 start, a burst of energy so emotional and impactful that it threatened to blow the roof off the building.
But as valiant as their early efforts were, they eventually would have to go to the bench. Fox, having returned from a high ankle sprain, could not be overexerted at this stage in what appears to be a lengthy series; Wembanyama, having picked up early fouls, was subject to head coach Mitch Johnson’s typical rotation patterns.
No Wembanyama meant an emboldened, prideful Thunder group eager to attack from multiple angles without apprehension. No Fox left a young team without a true veteran presence on the floor in the most important minutes of their playoff lives to date. The first half saw San Antonio lose those minutes by 14 points in a game — and series — that has become about the margins and advantages. The second half was merely a manifestation of its predecessor, a lost tale. In total, the Spurs lost the non-Wemby minutes by 19 and the non-Fox minutes by 24.
“It was a punch,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said following OKC’s 123-108 win to take a 2-1 series lead. “Credit them, they were ready to play and they got us early in stops and transition. I just thought we showed great poise to understand the 48-minute nature of the game. I thought the bench right off the bat — Alex, Cason, JayWill, Jared — those guys gave us a huge lift all night, but it started there, getting us into a manageable spot. Great poise by the team.”
The Western Conference war of attrition, through the first three games, has become a dissertation in depth. Chess moves and tactical adjustments have been present, as any playoff series dictates, but the bulk of this heavyweight matchup has come from the supporting cast members. Similar to Game 2, Game 3 saw an Oklahoma City second unit rise to the occasion, producing a walloping 76 points compared to just 23 from San Antonio.
“I don’t think it’s one thing here or there,” Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said of the chasm. “We were really sharp to start the game and didn’t sustain it. That wasn’t sustainable how we started, but I thought we played very fast and that’s something that tapered off as the game went along. We have to find a way to do that and part of that’s on me to help the whole group — not just the bench — to continue to play fast and get easy opportunities.”
This presents a significant problem for the Spurs, particularly as it relates to Wembanyama and Fox. During the regular season, San Antonio was outscored by only one point in nearly 2,100 minutes that Wembanyama wasn’t on the floor. Their bench, along with Oklahoma City’s, was among the top 10 in production (41.8 points per game for the Thunder, 41.7 for the Spurs). Keep things close enough with your best player off the floor — further leaning into Johnson’s smart coaching, lineups and overall trust in the rest of the group — and give yourselves the luxury of rest for Wemby and a chance the rest of the way. Less Fox meant more opportunities for the likes of Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper — young, explosive guards that benefited greatly from additional minutes and reps in tandem.
Against the best team in basketball — and unsurprisingly so — that resolve has been greatly tested.
Coming into Game 3, the Spurs had been outscored by 19 points in 20 non-Wemby minutes since the outset of the conference finals. A gap of that magnitude against opposition this mighty is a recipe for disaster. Keldon Johnson, reigning Sixth Man of the Year, has struggled and finished with just 5 points on 1-for-5 shooting on Friday. Carter Bryant, while an emphatic, energetic defender, has shown his lack of offensive experience in spots, and Harrison Barnes, who finished with just three scoreless minutes played, has gone from starter to key reserve to borderline unplayable.
And it’s all happening as a cruel juxtaposition to Alex Caruso’s steady hand, underrated floor spacing from Jaylin Williams (5-for-6 shooting from 3) and quality three-level scoring from Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain. That Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins, two key members of the Thunder’s championship run (who would play large roles on 29 other NBA franchises) are largely glued to the bench adds insult to injury. The bench disparity has played such a huge part in this series that Jalen Williams’ availability and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s efforts against an aggressive Spurs defense have become almost secondary storylines.
“We just try to look at things through the lens of our own strengths,” Daigneault said. “We’re not looking at anything relative to the opponent. The last thing you want to do is assume an opponent has a weakness that they don’t have. We assume they’re always at their best and we need to be at ours. Depth is a part of that. It needs to be one of our strengths we rely on regardless of circumstance and we’ve done a great job of that so far in this series.”
(Game 3 was also the embodiment of Oklahoma City’s tight defensive shell, which looks to generate turnovers and forcesvthe Spurs to beat them from the perimeter, particularly the corners. San Antonio took 18% of their 3s from the corners, nearly the highest rate of any playoff team this season but converted only 25% of such shots, which ranked in the 20th percentile. Julian Champagnie, originally assumed to be their ace in the hole, has missed 12 of his last 15 outside attempts and without both him and Devin Vassell firing at the same time, their inside-outside balance has suffered.)
It was rather interesting hearing Wembanyama speak after the game, heaping the bulk of blame on his shoulders despite how poorly the team fared when he wasn’t on the floor, finishing with 26 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal in Game 3.
“I feel like I have trouble making my teammates better right now,” he said. “That’s what I should do better. My shooting splits aren’t terrible, I need to be more of a team player.”
Perhaps the reinsertion of Fox, after Castle and Harper looked to have developed some semblance of rhythm (even amidst Castle’s heap of turnovers) requires an adjustment period. But San Antonio doesn’t have the benefit of time on their hands anymore. The momentum the Spurs stole with their chest puffed out in Game 1 has been swiftly located and returned to their original owners. The Thunder’s championship experience and mettle seem to have figured the Spurs out, and if there’s not another lever the latter can pull when Wembanyama or Fox head to the bench, it’s difficult to envision San Antonio playing in June.