As Jared McCain was introduced in the Oklahoma City Thunder starting lineup for a pivotal Game 5, the Paycom Center erupted. Sure, McCain has quickly become a fan favorite since being plopped down in Bricktown back in February, so the reaction was somewhat expected. Though the over-the-top roar that even rivaled, if not beat, the applause for the back-to-back NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just seconds later felt symbolic of a fanbase that knew this team was up against a massive challenge and wanted to instill confidence in a second-year guard fresh off a 1-for-10 game in the Thunder's Game 4 blowout loss at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs. Oklahoma City faced its most challenging task yet. Going up against the most imposing playoff team the Thunder have ever matched up with, having to do so down All-NBA swingman Jalen Williams and Rising Star guard Ajay Mitchell. With San Antonio having all the momentum entering this series swinging contest. After getting down eight early, with turnovers and low shot quality offensive possessions stacking the fear was that Game 5 would look much of the same as Game 4's output with the lack of self shot creation and table setting left behind by Mitchell and Williams. An outing in Sunday's game that Thunder head coach called “our worst offensive game by a mile from a process standpoint.”Oklahoma City quickly settled into the game after a flurry of six lead changes and eight ties in the opening frame. After gaining a two-point lead by the end of the first quarter, the Thunder saw their lead balloon to 11 by intermission before throwing the knock-out punch to start the third frame, getting up by 20 points. The Thunder never trailed in the final three quarters en route to a 127-114 win over the Spurs to take a 3-2 series lead despite missing two of its top five players on the roster against a fully healthy San Antonio squad. May 26, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) reacts after a play during the third quarter against the San Antonio Spurs in game five of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn ImagesGrading OKC Thunder Impressive Game 5 Win vs. SpursShai Gilgeous-Alexander, G: BThe Oklahoma City Thunder came into this game likely expecting to lean on its superstar to carry them through this injury-riddled series. Before the ball was tipped, most predicted that Gilgeous-Alexander would need an out-of-this-world showing to will the beaten, battered and bruised Thunder to a Game 5 win over this San Antonio Spurs squad that the NBA media is ready to hand the next decade to. Instead, it was a fine game by Gilgeous-Alexander's standards. The back-to-back NBA MVP can't possibly earn an A+ outing when he shoots 36 percent from the floor with six turnovers to boot. Sure, the playoffs are different, and this Spurs defense is an elite unit, but this is a star guard in the best-in-the-world conversation. A slow start saw the Thunder guard 0-for-4 out of the gate, having half of his six turnovers in the first frame with head-scratching decision-making in transition, most notably slowing the pace down with the Thunder playing 5-on-4 and Wembanyama on the floor behind the action. The Thunder Superstar got it going in the second quarter, going for 12 points on 3-for-5 shooting from the floor, to couple with an assist while being a +5 to close the first half. During Oklahoma City's avalanche run in the third quarter, the reigning NBA MVP had 11 points on 50 percent shooting while going 6-for-7 at the free throw line, dishing out three assists, and even swatting a shot. The middle two frames secured the team's victory to take control of the series and earn the MVP a B grade. There is still more that Gilgeous-Alexander can do to dominate this series and leave his mark on these Western Conference Finals, but considering the matchup, the adversity and his individual standard this is his Game 5 grade. Jared McCain, G: AMcCain made his first career playoff start in the biggest game of the season. The second-year guard spent part of his season with the 76ers' NBA G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, and was given up on by Philadelphia after falling to crack Nick Nurse's rotation. He jumped on a moving train with the defending champions, who enjoy the most talent-rich roster in the NBA. Many questioned what his postseason role would look like in this crowded Thunder rotation during his playoff debut. As the injuries mounted, so did the series-swinging performances for McCain. After hardly playing at all against the Phoenix Suns, the 2024 first-round pick went 4-for-5 from 3-point land in Game 1 and Game 2 of the Thunder's sweep over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Oklahoma City Thunder have now seen McCain log double figures six times this postseason, going for over 15 points three times and now 20 or more points twice. Without Mitchell and Williams offense was always going to be hard to come by, but McCain's 20-point surge in Game 5, including a pair of timely fourth-quarter triples, helped seal this victory for the Bricktown Ballers. Relative to his projected role, his performance, his Game 4 bounce back and the impact on this win, McCain has to earn an A in this outing, going for 20 points, and hauling in a trio of rebounds, even if it took him 19 shots to do so and going 3-for-9 from distance. His fearlessness has been his superpower in this playoff run. Rising to the occasion to relentlessly fire shots at the rim, which OKC has needed, given their injury struggles. That doesn't guarantee success, but it does guarantee the chance to have success. McCain's showing this postseason can be tied to a fitting quote from Mark Daigneault regarding Ajay Mitchell's Game 3 in Phoenix "Winners fail, losers hide." Lu Dort, G: B-The Oklahoma City Thunder are still awaiting a massive 3-point shooting night from the defensive ace. Perhaps Dort won't turn back the clock and offer up a 4-for-8 night from downtown as he did against Denver in Game 5 of last year's second-round series, but his impact was still felt in Game 5 of this Spurs series. While only playing in 19 minutes, Dort logged seven points and scraped for four rebounds, three of which were defensive to end Spurs possessions. His ability to stand up against Spurs drivers, draw illegal screens, and dive to the deck to force a jump ball that he would eventually win all showed itself in a three-play stretch, capped off a run for Oklahoma City to help the Thunder keep San Antonio at bay.Chet Holmgren, F: B+A lot has been made about Holmgren's lack of performance against the San Antonio Spurs. For good reason. It has taken until the tenth meeting between these two sides for Holmgren to have a result worth writing home about in a positive way. The Thunder big man kept the team in the contest early with six of the Thunder's first ten points getting it done with low block turnaround jumpers and that led to a game-long process of hanging around the rim where he was able to gobble up a series high 11 rebounds, 16 points, an assist, a steal and a block. Oklahoma City's All-NBA big man finally has a performance worth building on as the Thunder have two close-out chances ahead in Game 6 and a possible Game 7. His force and physicality were much improved, while he has the ability to clean up some of the flaws of this Game 5 that hindered his ability to earn an A grade. Most notably needing to offer better body control at the rim when challenging shots to deter the likes of Julian Champaigne and Keldon Johnson, who went through him at the cup on three different occasions. All in all, though, in what has been a forgettable series for the seven-footer, Game 5 was a huge moment to help the Thunder grab a 3-2 series lead. Keeping the contest competitive in the early stages of the first quarter set things in motion for OKC's eventual win. Isaiah Hartenstein, C: AHartenstein was part of a great showing from the Thunder front court. Not only did Oklahoma City win the rebounding effort 48-41, but the Bricktown Ballers head Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama in check for just 20 points, 6 rebounds and an assist on the offensive end a statline that left him frustrated so much so he bailed on conducting a league-mandated postgame interview. Hartenstein dominated this game on the glass with 15 rebounds while also having his floater working to the tune of 12 points and picking up the playmaking slack with four dimes and swatting a shot on the defensive end. His impact generated a +24 in the box score plus-minus for Oklahoma City. There isn't anything to clean up from this stellar game for the seven-footer. Alex Caruso, F: AWhile it wasn't the 31-point outing from Game 1, Caruso has been the Thunder's key in not only keeping this series competitive but landing the Bricktown Ballers with a 3-2 series lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals tilt. Caruso turned in 22 points, dished out six assists as a connective playmaker, hauled in two rebounds and went an impressive 4-for-8 from beyond the arc on top of being a menace in the passing lanes not only swiping a trio of steals but also deflecting a high number of possessions to bog down the Spurs' offensive attack and force San Antonio into late shot clock settings. The veteran was a +18 and continues to put together a sneaky case for Western Conference Finals MVP. Cason Wallace, G: B+Wallace has put together his best playoff run in his young career, a +29 in the box score plus minus, thanks to his defensive shut-down ability at the point of attack and his all-around game, which featured five assists, four rebounds, two steals, as many blocks, and seven points. Kenrich Williams, F: AWilliams earns an A given the expectation level. The Thunder have rarely deployed the scrappy veteran in any of their past three playoff runs and he was viewed as a change-up pitch in this rotation. With the run of injuries, the TCU product found himself in the Western Conference Finals and left Game 5 with a pair of timely triples to help Oklahoma City grab this win with eight points and three rebounds logged in 12 minutes. Jaylin Williams, F: BThe Arkansas big man had nice defensive moments walling up on Wembanyama and putting his chest onto him. His ability to soak up 17 minutes of action while collecting four rebounds certainly helped Oklahoma City's efforts but the pass of the night, a short roll touch pass to Cason Wallace in the corner for 3, was enough to get a B grade in what was an impressive Game 5 win for Oklahoma City.Note: Isaiah Joe, Nikola Topic and Aaron Wiggins played under two minutes in this game not earning a grade. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow