With both Jalen Williams (hamstring) and Ajay Mitchell (calf) out, the OKC Thunder turned to 2026 trade-deadline acquisition Jared McCain to take the fifth and final place in their starting lineup.
Despite it being his first-ever postseason start, the sophomore guard managed to shine blindingly bright, particularly during the second half, where he posted 18 points on 42.9 percent shooting from both the floor and beyond the arc en route to a 22-point performance and, most importantly of all, helped lead Oklahoma City to a 127-114 win to officially give them a 3-2 series lead.
Though McCain's efforts on the night certainly stood out, in many ways, it's merely the latest example of an ongoing trend in this year's Western Conference Finals -- when he's productive in the scoring department, the Thunder have proven highly successful.
In all three wins over the Spurs this series, McCain has registered scoring totals in the double-digits, with the last two clocking in north of 20, including a playoff career-high of 24 in Game 3.
During their losses in Games 1 and 4, he scored 7 and 4, respectively.
Hopefully, this trend can continue heading into Thursday's Game 6, and the Thunder can officially punch their ticket to a second straight NBA Finals.
Fortunately, should there actually be a direct correlation between McCain's scoring production and Oklahoma City's win-rate, rather than it being just a mere coincidence, considering star big Chet Holmgren described his bucket-getting skills as being "almost in his genes," the expectation is that he should certainly have one more showing left in him this series and, hopefully, beyond.
History suggests Thunder should advance after Game 5 win over Spurs
Though there's still one more game left to be won before they can officially advance to yet another title round, based on history, this Thunder team should be considered a virtual lock for the 2026 NBA Finals.
Among the 55 teams ever to have won Game 5 after being tied up 2-2 heading in, 42 of them have ultimately gone on to take the series for themselves, a success rate of 76.4 percent.
On top of this, according to Underdog, the Thunder have found themselves up 3-2 in a best-of-seven series 14 times throughout their franchise's existence, going 12-2 during the games that have followed.
Add all of this to the fact that they have gone an undefeated 9-0 when following a loss over their last two postseason runs, and, even if they unfortunately fail to close things out on Thursday in San Antonio, all signs point to Oklahoma City once again representing the West in the NBA Finals and continuing on their quest to become the first repeat champion in nearly a decade.
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