Photo: Peter Baba

After falling behind 15-0 to begin Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder responded with a strong comeback to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 123-108 and take a 2-1 series lead.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the turnaround with 26 points and 12 assists, helping Oklahoma City regain control after the difficult opening stretch.

“We just went out there and competed,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

The Thunder star admitted Oklahoma City did not match San Antonio’s energy early, especially with the Spurs feeding off their home crowd.

“They obviously jumped on us early. First game in their building, their crowd behind them, they were excited to play,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

However, he praised the team’s response after the rough start.

“We just wanted to make sure we competed from that point on,” he added.

Gilgeous-Alexander also emphasized the importance of quickly moving past mistakes during playoff basketball.

“We obviously didn’t give our best effort to start that game, but can’t do nothing about it,” he said. “It’s behind us. All we can do is focus on the next possession, and we did that.”

Thunder Notes: SGA, Bench, Turnovers, McCain, Caruso https://t.co/5fBr1thDKO