Oklahoma City Thunder Ungguli San Antonio Spurs Lewat Kontribusi Cadangan

Oklahoma City Thunder sukses mengalahkan tuan rumah San Antonio Spurs dengan skor 123-108 pada laga ketiga Final Wilayah Barat NBA Playoffs di Frost Bank Center setelah sempat tertinggal 15 poin di awal kuarter pertama.

Kemenangan ini membuat Oklahoma City Thunder memimpin seri dengan keunggulan 2-1 atas San Antonio Spurs. Kebangkitan tim tamu dimotori oleh kontribusi masif barisan pemain cadangan yang mengemas 76 poin, berbanding terbalik dengan cadangan Spurs yang hanya mencetak 23 poin.

Akurasi dan disiplin menjadi pembeda besar dalam laga ini karena Thunder mampu meredam agresivitas tuan rumah meskipun bermain tanpa Jalen Williams yang mengalami cedera hamstring. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander memimpin perolehan angka dengan 26 poin dan 12 asis.

"We just went out there and competed," ujar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, pemain lini belakang Oklahoma City Thunder seperti dilansir dari Raul Dominguez dari The Associated Press.

"They obviously jumped on us early. First game in their building, their crowd behind them, they were excited to play. We just wanted to make sure we competed from that point on. We obviously didn’t give our best effort to start that game, but can’t do nothing about it. It’s behind us. All we can do is focus on the next possession, and we did that."

Pemain cadangan Jared McCain yang baru didatangkan musim ini tampil impresif dengan menyumbang 24 poin untuk membantu Thunder membalikkan keadaan. Gilgeous-Alexander memberikan pujian khusus atas mentalitas yang ditunjukkan oleh rekan setimnya tersebut selama berada di lapangan.

"He just oozes confidence," kata Shai Gilgeous-Alexander seperti dilaporkan oleh Joe Mussatto dari The Oklahoman.

"He knows exactly who he is, he knows exactly what he does, and he goes out there and does it no matter what. Whether the ball goes in or out he makes the next play, he makes the best play for himself and for the guys out there. He’s always aggressive, always in attack mode and we needed it tonight."

Pelatih kepala Oklahoma City Thunder, Mark Daigneault, menilai kedisiplinan dalam menjaga penguasaan bola menjadi kunci utama bagi timnya untuk bangkit mengejar ketertinggalan angka. Thunder tercatat hanya melakukan 10 kali turnover sepanjang pertandingan malam itu.

"Other than the first 15 points, our defense was really tight," kata Mark Daigneault, Pelatih Kepala Oklahoma City Thunder.

"We got back, settled down into the halfcourt. Our offense had something to do with that. We ran good offense tonight, despite the fact that they were amped up and ready to go, the Spurs were. It’s a discipline series. We did that. We couldn’t be reckless against them, they are too good with the ball, too well coached, too talented. So you’ve got to be able to do it with discipline. I thought we really were disciplined tonight."

Di sisi lain, jurnalis Jenni Carlson dari The Oklahoman menilai Alex Caruso sebagai pemain paling berpengaruh dalam seri ini berkat kontribusi menyeluruhnya. Guard veteran itu mencetak 15 poin dalam 24 menit penampilan pada laga ketiga.

Caruso menorehkan rata-rata 21,0 poin, 2,7 rebound, 2,3 asis, 1,7 steal, serta 1,0 blok selama seri final wilayah berlangsung. Kehadiran Caruso di lapangan juga memberikan dampak positif yang signifikan dengan catatan plus-46 bagi tim.

"I think the most impressive thing is, he makes the plays that have nothing to do with physical ability," ujar Chet Holmgren, Pemain Oklahoma City Thunder.