In Game 2, Victor Wembanyama and co. suffered from excessive fouling, unnecessary pushing and shoving, and even hair-pulling. So, with vengeance in mind, the San Antonio Spurs began hot in Game 3 and went on a 15-0 streak right from the tip-off. Then in the second frame, it was time for the current champions to pull some distance with an 11-2 run of their own. That’s why the third quarter was even more hotly contested, with 20 fouls being called.

There were two straight fouls on fast breaks by OKC on Stephon Castle. It was the second foul that produced the heated moment. Devin Vassell stole the ball, and Castle was set up for another fast break, but Ajay Mitchell had other ideas. There was a push in the back in addition to the play with the left arm. Naturally, even Vassell had an issue with his foul and confronted Mitchell. Then the scene between the two escalated, but while they were bickering, Castle was fired up after suffering another hard foul.

As the Spurs security tried to hold him multiple times, Castle fought hard to break free and was ready to confront the entire OKC team at this point. He was heated beyond the point, and former legendary player turned broadcaster, Reggie Miller, offered sane advice. “Castle has to calm down. He is too important on this team. Too valuable.” Without De’Aaron Fox in the first two games of the series, ball-handling responsibility was on the shoulders of Castle. Unfortunately, the 21-year-old became the first player in playoff history to record back-to-back 10+ turnover games.

With the bad stat already in his head, the fouls from OKC were the tipping point. Fortunately for him, it was Vassell who was on the receiving end of the foul trouble. After the review, Mitchell was assessed for Flagrant 1 for his push on the back of Castle. Then Vassell is the one who comes over and gets in Mitchell’s face. And that extends the altercation. Vassell pushed him in the chest, and Mitchell returned it with a push. So, double technical fouls were awarded. That’s how hotly contested the third frame was.

A total of 33 free throws were awarded, and in the first 3:46 minutes of the third quarter, the Thunder had accumulated five fouls. One of them took place with 9:02 left in the third frame. It was again Vassell who stole it from SGA, and Stephon Castle was ready to dunk. That’s when Caruso came flying and hit the left hand, which caused Castle to lose the ball and his balance, as he came down crashing. Cameras even caught him allegedly saying, “He’s been doing that all game.” A foul was called on the Thunder guard, but the Spurs star missed his first free throw.

That’s what Reggie Miller pointed out. “And that, my gentlemen, is a veteran playoff foul right there. Now, if you’re the Spurs, you gotta regain your composure. See what that little dust-up did? He was worried about Caruso. He misses the first free throw.” But the tensions only boiled after the foul from Mitchell as the teams received the technicals and flagrant foul 1.

The OKC Thunder bench had a lot in the tank

Before the game, the Spurs received a double blessing as Fox (sprained right ankle) and Dylan Harper (right adductor soreness) were cleared to play 45 minutes prior to tipoff. While they returned, Thunder were without Jalen Williams, who sat out with left hamstring soreness. Thus, San Antonio was able to go on a 15-0 streak, which is the longest run to open a game in the conference finals since the play-by-play era began in 1997. But OKC had the answer.

Their bench outscored San Antonio’s 76-23, including 15 points by Alex Caruso, 18 by Jaylin Williams, and a mighty 24 by Jared McCain. Meanwhile, none of the Spurs bench scored in double digits. Harper had the highest with followed by 5 for Keldon Johnson, and 4 for Kornet. It has been a recurring theme in this series. In Game 2, OKC’s bench would outscore 57-25, and 50-16 in Game 1, where Caruso had a career high 31 points.

While OKC has dominated, its excessive fouling remains under scrutiny. Let’s not forget that in Game 2, Hartenstein blatantly pulled Castle’s hair, dropping him to the floor, and Thunder converted a three-pointer off the second chance.