Thunder vs. Spurs: Game 5 Highlights, Twitter Reaction and Analysis

The Oklahoma City Thunder took full control of the Western Conference finals by taking down the Spurs in San Antonio 108-103 in Game 5 action. They now take a 3-2 series lead back to Oklahoma City.

The Thunder have now won three straight in this series, which is the Spurs' longest losing streak of the season. 

The Thunder led almost the entire game, and at one point had a 14-point lead. The Spurs then began to dominate late, and the Thunder had to do everything they could to hang onto victory. 

In the fourth quarter, San Antonio became more aggressive taking the ball to the rim. They also did a fantastic job of team defense denying Kevin Durant the ball.  

James Harden drilled a huge three late, with the shot clock running down, to help OKC hold on. 

Tweets of the Night

Bleacher Report's Ryan Rudnasky thinks it is safe to say that the young Thunder have arrived.

"

Yep, I think it's safe to say the Thunder are finally realizing their potential. Great performance by Oklahoma City's Big 3. #Thunder #Spurs

— Ryan Rudnansky (@RyanRudnansky) June 5, 2012"

CBS' Bruce Feldman tweeted out why the Thunder's early lead was such a good sign.

"

Thunder up 9 on the road with Durant and Westbrook a combined 3-13?? Wow.

— Bruce Feldman (@BFeldmanCBS) June 5, 2012"

This game got off to a brutal start. ESPN Stats & Info put that ugly beginning into numbers.

"

Spurs and Thunder combined to miss their first 11 FG attempts. It took 3 minutes, 23 seconds before Nick Collison's dunk broke the ice.

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 5, 2012"

Not Bill Walton put it into a more literary context.

"

Spurs and Thunder have put up more bricks than Montressor in Edgar Allen Poe's The Cask of Amontillado. Oh, the humanity!!

— Not Bill Walton (@NotBillWalton) June 5, 2012"

Must-See Highlight

It's not often that you see an alley-oop from a small forward to a point guard, but the Thunder can pull it off. Check out Durant lofting up this nice pass to a high-flying Russell Westbrook to finish off the break. 

Grades for Key Thunder Players

Kevin Durant: B+

Durant had yet another solid game, though he didn't take over the fourth quarter like he did in Game 4. In fact, he was conspicuously absent in the fourth, but he was efficient and active.

Part of this was the Spurs D. The other part was not a big enough effort being made to get him the ball. KD finished with 27 points on 10-of-19 shooting. 

Russell Westbrook: B-

Westbrook again struggled with his shot. He was just 9-of-24 from the field, and had 23 points.

He did a nice job dealing out assists, with 12 of them, but still made some questionable and costly decisions, with a game-high six turnovers on the night.

Grades for Key Spurs Players

Tony Parker: C+

This was not Parker's best game. He was off with his shot, and the Spurs had stretches where they desperately needed Parker to carry this offense. He finished just 5-14 from the field with 20 points. 

He also only added four assists (versus five turnovers).

Manu Ginobili: A

Ginobili was amazing in this game. He was the only guy that could hit a bucket early, and he kept hitting them as the game wore on. 

He finished with 34 points on 11-of-20 shooting. He also did a fine job dishing out seven assists and grabbing six boards. 

Deciding Factor: Steals

When the Thunder are at their best, they are getting into the open court off of their pressure defense. They were on their defensive game in this one. They had 12 steals and forced San Antonio into 21 turnovers.

Game MVP: James Harden

Once again, Harden was huge for the Thunder off the bench, hitting for 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting. 

His stat line is not why he wins the MVP for this game. That would be due to his huge three-pointer late in the fourth quarter. 

Harden was defended perfectly, but he rose up and drilled the shot at a time when the Thunder were struggling to hit anything. That shot was the difference in the game. 

What's Next? 

These two teams will head to Oklahoma City for Game 6 on Wednesday night at 9 p.m. ET.