The Oklahoma City Thunder regained home-court advantage in the Western Conference Finals with a 123-108 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 at Frost Bank Center on Friday. The Spurs got off to a tremendous start in this one as they led 15-0 in the opening stages, but they weren’t able to build on it.
The Thunder only trailed 31-26 at the end of the first quarter and then gained the upper hand. They limited the Spurs to just 20 points in the second quarter to take a 58-51 lead into halftime. The visitors would keep the hosts at arm’s length the rest of the way and have now taken a 2-1 lead in the series.
The Thunder were in must-win territory after Game 1, and the Spurs now find themselves in it after Game 3. Here’s a look at how their players fared on this night.
Victor Wembanyama: B+
Game Stats: 26 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 2 BLK, 2 TOV, 8-15 FG, 2-5 3PT, 8-10 FT, 39 MIN
Victor Wembanyama played like an alien in Game 1 against the Thunder, but he has looked human since. Now, Wembanyama was not going to average 41 points and 24 rebounds in this series, but you’d expected better than what he has shown. Those might be the quietest 26 points of his career. He was a non-factor on the glass, too.
As for the defensive end, we even saw Jared McCain surprisingly having success when attacking Wembanyama. This certainly wasn’t a night the Frenchman will look back on fondly.
All that said, the Thunder had a lot of success when Wembanyama wasn’t on the court. The Spurs were a -19 in the nine minutes he sat. Most notably, it was after Wembanyama headed to the bench that the Thunder started to eat into that early lead the hosts had built up. The Spurs have to be better when he is off the court if they are to win this series.
Devin Vassell: B+
Game Stats: 20 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 4 STL, 6-12 FG, 3-6 3PT, 5-5 FT, 36 MIN
Devin Vassell got off to a fast start here, drilling two threes in the opening minutes. Vassell would go a bit cold after that, but still had an efficient 20-point outing. He also impressed with his defense and hustle, and can hold his head high despite the loss. Had a couple of other role players played as well as Vassell, the Spurs probably would have come away with the win.
De’Aaron Fox: B
Game Stats: 15 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST, 1 STL, 4 TOV, 7-14 FG, 1-6 3PT, 31 MIN
De’Aaron Fox returned from a right high ankle sprain here and had a solid night in all. Fox was another who started well, with nine points in the first quarter. The Thunder were struggling to keep up with him, but his impact on this game waned as time went by.
Fox was probably still a bit hampered by the injury. He also hurt that right leg again in the third quarter when he dove for a loose ball. Fox was hobbling afterward and headed to the bench. He was able to return, but scored just two points in the fourth quarter.
Julian Champagnie: C+
Game Stats: 10 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 4-10 FG, 2-8 3PT, 35 MIN
Julian Champagnie continues to struggle from beyond the arc in this series. The two threes that Champagnie made were timely, but he needs to make more of these. He is now 6-36 (16.7%) from three for the series, which is just flat-out terrible.
The Spurs will also need more from Champagnie on the glass. As for the positives, he had some good defensive possessions in this one.
Stephon Castle: C+
Game Stats: 14 PTS, 5 REB, 7 AST, 1 STL, 2 BLK, 1 TOV, 1-8 FG, 1-5 3PT, 11-14 FT, 35 MIN
Stephon Castle had 20 turnovers over the first two games of this series, and the hope was that with Fox returning, we’d see a drop in that number. That indeed proved to be the case, but Castle struggled mightily shooting the ball. His only made field goal of the night came in the second quarter.
Now, Castle would have had a couple more, but he got hit from behind twice on the break in the third quarter. Those fouls contributed to him living at the free-throw line on the night.
While getting to the line regularly in a game is a good sign, Castle has to start making some threes. He is 3-17 (17.6%) from beyond the arc in this series, and the Spurs aren’t going to win if two of their starters are in this kind of a slump.
Dylan Harper: C
Game Stats: 6 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 2 TOV, 2-7 FG, 1-3 3PT, 1-2 FT, 17 MIN
Dylan Harper was a game-time decision here, like Fox, having exited Game 2 due to right adductor soreness. While Harper played, this clearly wasn’t the same player who had impressed so much in these playoffs. He wasn’t attacking the basket the way we had seen him previously, and it was a rather quiet night. If this is the version of Harper that the Spurs get the rest of the way, they might be in trouble.
Carter Bryant: C
Game Stats: 3 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 1 TOV, 1-3 FG, 1-2 3PT, 10 MIN
Guarding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is no easy task, and Carter Bryant struggled at it here. Gilgeous-Alexander is just too crafty for Bryant, and the Spurs shouldn’t put the rookie on the MVP.
Luke Kornet: C-
Game Stats: 4 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST, 2 TOV, 2-3 FG, 13 MIN
Luke Kornet proved to be a competent backup for Wembanyama in the regular season, but he hasn’t been very good in this series. The Spurs are struggling whenever Kornet subs in for the superstar center. The Spurs tried a double-big lineup in the second half here, and it will be interesting to see if they go to it again at some point in Game 4.
Keldon Johnson: C-
Game Stats: 5 PTS, 2 REB, 1 TOV, 1-5 FG, 1-4 3PT, 2-2 FT, 12 MIN
Keldon Johnson has won Sixth Man of the Year for 2025-26, but he sure didn’t provide a spark off the bench for the Spurs here. In fact, the Thunder were dominating when he was on the court. In just 12 minutes, Johnson was a -23, the worst of any player on either team.
