There is always tension in the air when we get to the Conference Finals, but there has been a bit more than usual in the matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs haven’t been all too happy about the way the Thunder have been allowed to defend them, and their frustrations boiled over a bit in Game 3 at Frost Bank Center on Friday.
Stephon Castle was subjected to a couple of hard fouls on fastbreaks in the third quarter, first by Alex Caruso and then by Ajay Mitchell. Devin Vassell took issue with the second one and confronted Mitchell, sparking a scuffle.
Tempers flaring in San Antonio.
Spurs didn’t care for Ajay Mitchell’s foul on Stephon Castle.pic.twitter.com/Tz6G6iTaTg
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) May 23, 2026
You’d imagine Vassell wouldn’t have reacted in this manner had the Caruso incident not occurred minutes earlier. Castle was fuming after that one, and his anger only grew after getting hit by Mitchell. Spurs security was desperately trying to hold back the 21-year-old to ensure he didn’t do anything crazy in that moment.
While Caruso was only assessed with a personal foul, Mitchell was slapped with a flagrant 1. He and Vassell were also given technical fouls for their role in the scuffle.
Castle has been on the receiving end of some questionable plays in this series. In Game 2, Isaiah Hartenstein pulled him down by his hair and got away with it. Hartenstein also employed some sneaky tactics while defending Victor Wembanyama that didn’t go down too well. With all that has happened, we might hear some strong words from the Spurs after this game regarding the Thunder and the officials.
As for this game, the Spurs jumped out to a 15-0 lead in the opening minutes, but the Thunder then started to take control. They led 58-51 at halftime and took a 95-84 lead into the fourth quarter. The Spurs had snatched home-court advantage in this series by winning Game 1 in Oklahoma City, and the Thunder are now looking to win it back.
