The Oklahoma City Thunder can finish the Western Conference finals on Thursday when they host the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6. Oklahoma City won Game 5 on Tuesday, 127-114, and holds a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Teams that won Game 5 after a 2-2 split went on to win the series 82% of the time (198-44), according to ESPN Research. The Thunder have fared well in similar spots historically, posting a 7-1 series record when holding a 3-2 lead since the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008-09.
A victory in Game 6 would send Oklahoma City to its second straight NBA Finals. The Thunder would also pursue becoming the first club since the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors to win consecutive championships. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would become the sixth player in NBA history to follow an MVP season with a trip to the Finals in back-to-back years.
The Spurs have rarely rallied from a 3-2 deficit in franchise history, holding a 1-13 record in such series and a 5-9 mark in Game 6s of those matchups. Their lone comeback from a 3-2 hole came in the 2008 second round against the then-New Orleans Hornets.
San Antonio is 2-0 this postseason when trailing a series, though the club has not yet faced an elimination game. Thursday’s Game 6 will determine whether the Thunder close out the series or the Spurs force a decisive Game 7.
