Sometimes, experience matters.
The San Antonio Spurs hit the floor at the Frost Bank Center looking like an absolute buzzsaw, as the Oklahoma City Thunder found themselves down 15-0 less than three minutes into Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.
However, the defending champions weathered San Antonio’s early barrage and clawed back to clinch a 123-108 win.
San Antonio Spurs Suffer Game 3 Collapse Against Oklahoma City Thunder Despite Aggressive Start
Basketball is built on momentum swings, something the fans inside the Frost Bank Center witnessed firsthand on Friday night.
After going down 10-0, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault called a timeout, with Oklahoma City then going on to cut down the 15-0 lead to a 31-26 deficit when the first quarter ended.
Despite a resurgence from Thunder, it still felt like San Antonio would eventually walk away with a crucial 2-1 series lead.
SAN ANTONIO OPENS GAME 3 WITH A 15-0 RUN 🔥 pic.twitter.com/y4cTp3SI4K
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 23, 2026
However, by the time the final buzzer sounded, it was a record-breaking production from Oklahoma City’s reserves that helped the defending champions clinch an unlikely win.
The Thunder bench poured in an impressive 76 points, completely changing the course of the game. San Antonio’s second unit paled in comparison, managing a meager 23.
As a result, Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio had become just the second team in this century to start a playoff game on a 15-0 run or better and still end up on the losing side.
The Spurs are the second team this century to start a playoff game on a 15-0 run or better and lose 😬
They join the 2017 Wizards, who blew a 16-0 lead in the East semis at Boston. pic.twitter.com/lZ4sEDDTB0
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) May 23, 2026
The reaction from the NBA community was swift and unforgiving, as the Spurs’ early dominance had culminated in a historic collapse.
One San Antonio fan promptly admitted defeat, writing, “Wemby sold us dreams. Its a wrap 😭😭😭😭”
Wemby sold us dreams. Its a wrap 😭😭😭😭 https://t.co/luCbGxPbur
— Olatunde (@whoistunde) May 23, 2026
“My goodness….” Chris Russell wrote, expressing disbelief.
“If only there was a suitable adjective for this kind of thing,” Damian McBride posted.
“Didn’t the mavs do something similar against the clippers in 21,” one user asked.
Didn’t the mavs do something similar against the clippers in 21 https://t.co/51EYTKpzrs
— Wizely 🫥🌙 (@Wizelycook) May 23, 2026
“Lost the game once coach subbed out Wemby and Fox on that 15-0 run. You gotta run that score up,” another observed.
“One thing about Shai is that he never gets rattled. He very often starts the game bricking all his shots and playing like sh*t… he just keeps playing like normal… Wemby has dominant stretches, but looks lost a few possessions, and then it stretches into quarters where he doesn’t put up shots…” one user claimed.
One thing about Shai is that he never gets rattled. He very often starts the game bricking all his shots and playing like shit. Most players just lose their mental at that point and can’t perform for the rest of the game.
Instead he just keeps playing like normal. Keeps… https://t.co/Ke8rmK0zzq
— KlawWrld (@kawhi_ring) May 23, 2026
Wembanyama finished with a team-high 26 points on an efficient 8-of-15 shooting performance. Despite a solid scoring production, he secured just 4 rebounds in 39 minutes of action.
After the game, he shouldered the responsibility of the Game 3 defeat and said, “I have trouble making my teammates better right now … I need to be more of a team player.”
Stephon Castle added 14 points and 7 assists, but the lack of consistent secondary scoring ultimately doomed the Spurs.
San Antonio simply could not match Oklahoma City’s depth or tactical flexibility, and come Sunday, the Spurs need more than brief bursts of offensive execution to stay alive.
