Jared McCain, acquired by the Oklahoma City Thunder from the Philadelphia 76ers after the trade deadline, has become a pivotal player in their Western Conference finals run [1, 2, 3]. Injuries to teammates Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell boosted McCain’s role and minutes on the court [1, 2, 3].
On May 26, McCain made his first career playoff start and scored 20 points on 7-of-19 shooting, helping the Thunder defeat the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 in Game 5 [1, 2, 3]. He has averaged 18.7 points per game in Oklahoma City’s wins during the series [1, 2].
The Spurs responded with physical play late in Game 5. Mason Plumlee committed a hard foul on McCain that was upgraded to a Flagrant 1 after league review on May 27 [1, 2]. McCain said the Spurs warned him they had "another one" foul coming, referencing a foul by Bismack Biyombo as well. "I'm just asking a question. And he was like, 'I got another one for you too,' and I'm like, alright man lemme get to the corner real quick, let's finish this game out," McCain said [3].
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, who impressed with more than 20 rebounds per game in the first two games, has slowed, averaging 6.0 rebounds over the last three. He scored 20 points in Game 5 but shot 4-of-15 from the floor [1, 2].
San Antonio guard De’Aaron Fox admitted the Spurs need better screen setting and more urgency for Game 6. "I don’t think we screened well. And that’s for us screening for him and vice versa... We have to be able to screen better for each other and then play with pace," Fox said. He added, "We’ve got to play like the more desperate team" [1].
Oklahoma City leads the series 3-2 heading into Game 6 on May 28 in San Antonio, where the Spurs will try to avoid elimination [1, 2, 3].
