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How Alex Caruso’s shooting could clinch series for OKC and crush the Spurs’ hopes
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- How Alex Caruso’s shooting could clinch series for OKC and crush the Spurs’ hopes
Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
Oklahoma City 's 127-114 Game 5 win over San Antonio on May 26 was exactly what the Thunder needed.
Alex Caruso scored 22 points on 5-of-10 shooting, made four of his eight three-pointers, handed out six assists, and went a perfect 8-for-8 at the free throw line.
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Caruso didn't just space the floor for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — he became the pressure point San Antonio couldn't figure out.
The Spurs came into this series with a plan to slow Oklahoma City down by forcing them to work through multiple layers. Victor Wembanyama 's length was expected to clog up driving lanes, and Stephon Castle gave them a big perimeter defender to match up with Gilgeous-Alexander.
The strategy was to focus on crowding the ball and force OKC's role players into bigger offensive roles. So far, Caruso keeps blowing that plan apart.
Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images
His shooting is changing San Antonio's help structure
Caruso now has 18 made threes in the Western Conference finals, and the volume matters almost as much as the percentage. Oklahoma City is no longer treating him like an occasional release valve. The Thunder are actively using him to punish the exact rotations San Antonio wants to make against Gilgeous-Alexander.
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Game 5 showed the problem clearly. Eight of Caruso's 10 field-goal attempts came from behind the arc, which forced the Spurs to think twice about helping off him toward the lane. If San Antonio stayed attached to him on the perimeter, Gilgeous-Alexander got cleaner driving space. If the Spurs pinched inward to crowd the paint, Caruso had room to fire immediately.
That balance is what makes him more dangerous than a normal spot-up shooter. San Antonio cannot simply run him off the line and reset the possession. Caruso still got to the foul line eight times in Game 5 because he attacked closeouts instead of stopping play.
He has become more than a connector in this series
The playoff version of Caruso is not playing like a low-usage role guard anymore. He shot 29.3 per cent from three during the regular season. Through five games against San Antonio, he has gone 18-for-35 from deep. At some point, the Spurs have to treat that as structural instead of temporary.
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That shift changes how Oklahoma City's entire offence operates. Caruso is not standing still in the corner waiting for kick-outs. He is cutting behind help defenders, moving the ball forward quickly and making fast reads once the defence rotates. His six assists in Game 5 mattered because they kept Oklahoma City from bogging down whenever San Antonio loaded up on Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Thunder are essentially getting secondary creation, transition pressure and elite floor spacing from the same player. That is a difficult thing to absorb when the defence is already tilted toward stopping an MVP-level scorer.
His defence continues to round out his impact
Caruso's 22 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including 4-for-8 from deep, six assists, and a perfect night from the line were exactly what Oklahoma City needed in their 127-114 Game 5 win over San Antonio.
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It wasn't just about spacing the floor for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander; Caruso became the pressure point the Spurs couldn't find answers for.
The Thunder are using him deliberately to exploit the exact rotations San Antonio relies on to contain Gilgeous-Alexander.
If they stayed glued to him outside, it left more space for Gilgeous-Alexander inside. If they sagged off to help in the paint, Caruso was ready to let it fly.
San Antonio can't just chase him off the arc and expect things to reset. His ability to attack closeouts kept Oklahoma City's offence moving forward rather than stalling out.
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Game 6 will likely hinge on the same question
As the Spurs head into Game 6 facing elimination, most of the attention will naturally be on Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama, and Castle. But there's a quieter tactical issue just behind them that still hasn't been solved.
How much help can San Antonio afford to send toward the ball without giving Caruso another window?
That's why Game 5 felt so significant. Oklahoma City got its usual star production, but the real swing came from a player San Antonio still wants to treat as a complementary piece. Caruso has played too well in too many different ways for that label to stick anymore.
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