The San Antonio Spurs will return home for another game in the Western Conference Finals, but it will not be from an advantageous position.
Bad shooting plagued the Spurs on Tuesday night, as they fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder 127-114 in Game Five of the Western Conference Finals, putting San Antonio on the brink of elimination.
It was the Julian Champagnie show in the first quarter, as he helped push the Spurs out to an early 16-8 lead, during which span he hit 3 three pointers. The Thunder though would counter, eventually taking a 29-27 lead after one period.
Champagnie scored 13 points of his 22 points in the opening frame. But Victor Wembanyama also played his usual role, throwing down a lob pass from Keldon Johnson to keep the Spurs in front.
The Thunder would build on the lead in the second quarter, opening the frame with a 10-2 run to push the lead to nine.
The Spurs though battled back with a 9-0 run of their own to cut the deficit back to one, capping it off with a forceful throwdown from Keldon Johnson.
But Oklahoma City would push back out in front, leading by as much as 13 before the break. Ultimately, the Thunder led the Spurs 69-58 at the halftime break.
Three point shooting was a woe for the Spurs on the night, going 12-for-41 from deep, and shot just 40 percent from the floor overall. The Spurs were also outrebounded byt he Thunder 58-49 on the glass. The Thunder, meanwhile, shot 14-for-32 from three, and 48-percent from the floor.
Things got worse to start the second half for the Spurs, as the Oklahoma City surged out with a 13-5 run, pushing the lead to 20 at one point. But the Spurs would ot go quietly, clawing back to within 8 with under six minutes to play in the third.
Devin Vassell helped quell the raucous Paycom Center crows with a three that cut it back to single digits.
The two would exchange baskets down the stretch, with the Thunder leading 101-91 at the end of three quarters.
Oklahoma City would keep the Spurs at arm's length to start the fourth quarter, maintaining a ten-point lead with seven minutes to play. They would build upon that, pushing out to a 15-point advantage. The defending champions would close out the game from there.
The lone bright spot on the state line for the Spurs was fast break points, outscoring the Thunder 26-9 in that category.
Stephon Castle led the Spurs with 24 points, while Victor Wembanyama added another 20. Keldon Johnson added 15 points off the bench for San Antonio.
The Thunder were led by MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 32 points and nine assists. Alex Caruso added another 22 points off the bench for the Thunder. The Oklahoma City bench outscored the Spurs bench 42-33 in the contest.
The Thunder now lead the series 3-2, putting the Spurs on the brink of elimination. Game Six is set for Thursday night in San Antonio.
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