OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 in Game 5 of their NBA playoff series, moving one win away from a return trip to the NBA Finals. The victory gave the Thunder a 3-2 series lead with Game 6 set to take place in San Antonio.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 32 points, an improvement over his performance in Game 4, when he was held to 19 points. Prior to Game 5, Gilgeous-Alexander had averaged fewer than 25 points per game in the series while shooting 39% overall and just 26% from three-point range.

Alex Caruso provided a spark off the bench, scoring 22 points. His contribution followed a scoreless Game 4, despite having made 14 three-pointers at a 61% clip through the first three games of the series. In Game 3, Caruso was part of a supporting unit—alongside Cason Wallace, Jaylin Williams, and Jared McCain—that combined for 68 points and 12 three-pointers, but that same group managed only 12 points on two three-pointers in Game 4.

The Spurs had adjusted their defensive strategy in Game 4 by switching from double-teaming Gilgeous-Alexander to primarily using single coverage, which limited scoring from the Thunder’s role players.

Oklahoma City’s bench resurgence in Game 5 coincided with notable on-court metrics. According to official team data, the Thunder have posted a net rating of +23.3 in the playoffs when Caruso is on the floor, compared to +2.2 when he is off. Their defensive rating improves to 101.3 with Caruso in the game, versus 115.1 when he sits.

Ajay Mitchell was ruled out for Game 5, while Jalen Williams was listed as questionable but ultimately played. Historically, the winner of Game 5 in a best-of-seven NBA playoff series tied 2-2 has gone on to win the series 82% of the time, per league data.