Thunder beat Spurs 123-108 in Game 3 to lead 2-1

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 123-108 in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals on Friday night, taking a 2-1 series lead behind a playoff career-high 24 points from reserve guard Jared McCain. McCain shot 10 for 21 from the field and made 9 of 11 shots inside the arc, including a finish over 7-foot-4 Spurs center Victor Wembanyama. He scored 16 of his points in the second half as the Thunder overcame an early 15-0 deficit.

McCain’s performance headlined a dominant night for Oklahoma City’s bench, which erupted for 76 points, the most by a conference finals or NBA Finals reserve unit since 1971. The Thunder reserves outscored San Antonio’s bench 76-23. McCain, who finished with a plus-minus of plus-28 in 27 minutes, was joined by Jaylin Williams, who added 18 points. The contributions were especially crucial because Oklahoma City was playing without injured starters Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell.

Speaking after the game, McCain addressed questions about whether his performance was intended to prove a point to former Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey, who traded him to the Thunder at the February deadline. “It’s never to prove anybody wrong....