Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 32 points and nine assists, Alex Caruso scored 22 points off the bench, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 in Tuesday’s Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals.

The victory put the reigning NBA champions one win away from returning to the NBA Finals to face the New York Knicks.

The first 19 minutes of the game were played very close, but Oklahoma City took control with a 29-12 stretch that spanned halftime and left them with a 20-point, third-quarter lead.

San Antonio trimmed the Thunder lead to 107-99 with seven minutes remaining, but Oklahoma City responded with two 3-pointers from Jared McCain and one from Caruso.

McCain scored 20 points as a surprise addition to the Thunder’s starting lineup, as they continued to play without Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell due to injury.

Gilgeous-Alexander bounced back from an insufficient Game 4 performance but was still below his typical efficiency. The back-to-back MVP was 7 of 19 from the field and committed six turnovers but made 16 of his 17 foul shots.

Isaiah Hartenstein had his best game of the series after being played off the court at times against the Spurs. In 31 minutes, he finished Game 5 with 12 points and 15 rebounds, including six offensive boards.

Chet Holmgren also had a double-double, finishing with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Victor Wembanyama scored 20 points but was 4 of 15 from the floor and missed all five of his 3-point attempts.

Stephon Castle led the Spurs with 24 points, while Julian Champagnie added 22 points and eight rebounds.

The series will shift back to San Antonio on Thursday night, with the Spurs hoping to force a Game 7.