MVP Gilgeous-Alexander stars as Thunder level series with the Spurs | Basketball

The OKC defense won 122-113 as Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points and dished out 9 assists, overshadowing Wembanyama.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drew the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs level in the Western Conference finals, as the defending NBA champions won their second heavyweight clash 122-113.

Having been the center of attention in their Game 1 loss to the Spurs, the league’s leading scorer scored 30 points and dished out nine assists on Wednesday.

The Thunder’s win tied the series at 1-1, with the teams traveling to San Antonio for Games Three and Four on Friday and Saturday.

“Those guys brought it tonight, knowing what it would mean if we lost this one,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

“We’ve brought energy from the jump.”

With two nights of overtime separating them, the two teams with the best NBA records of all time put on another strong performance.

Following a tied first quarter, the Thunder raced to an 11-minute lead.

Gilgeous-Alexander, who had gotten off to a slow start in the previous match, took the lead and looked the part, landing frequent strikes from the middle.

His team played 13 games with 16 points in the first half alone.

The Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama – after impressing in Game One, with 41 points and 24 rebounds – was stymied, often battling Isaiah Hartenstein and the Thunder’s two strong defenses.

But his teammate Stephon Castle responded in style, making a stunning leap over the head of the seven-foot-tall Hartenstein that left the crowd and players gasping.

From 13 points down, the Spurs – without starting guard De’Aaron Fox for the second straight game because of a sprained right knee – rallied to pull away midway through the third.

But San Antonio couldn’t take the lead again, as Oklahoma City stepped up the challenge.

“The guys were ready to play, (we) weren’t disappointed with the run they made,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, after the game.

“Obviously, they’re a good team, they’re going to run.”

On the night of the big game, Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams and San Antonio’s Dylan Harper both left the court with injuries and never returned.

The Thunder extended their lead again in the final quarter.

Gilgeous-Alexander jumped another Alex Caruso shot to extend the lead to nine with 20 seconds left.

“We got the W (win), that’s all you can ask for. Now we have to go on the road against a really good team and go get one,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

A frustrated player said Gilgeous-Alexander “had a shot, but nothing he hasn’t done all season”.

“We tried, we didn’t use much,” said the Frenchman.

Oklahoma City is trying to become the first team to repeat as champions since Golden State in 2017 and 2018.

The Thunder posted a league-best 64-game winning streak, sweeping the Phoenix Suns and LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers in the opening two games.

But they lost four of five regular season contests against the Spurs, who won 62 regular season games to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

The winner of the series will face the New York Knicks or Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.