Jared McCain has keyed Oklahoma City Thunder wins as San Antonio Spurs face elimination in Game 6

SAN ANTONIO – Jared McCain developed a reputation among the Oklahoma City Thunder with the way he quickly integrated with the team following the trade deadline deal that brought him from the Philadelphia 76ers in February, and his willingness to keep shooting even through times of struggle.

Heading into Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference Finals at the San Antonio Spurs on May 28 (May 29, Singapore time), McCain’s role has grown into a crucial one thanks in part to injuries to Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell that have led to an increase in playing time.

“I think he’s a special human being,” Thunder big man Isaiah Hartenstein said of McCain. “I think just in general, no one will change the way he is. I’ve never seen someone so happy every single day.”

McCain, 22, was certainly plenty happy on May 26, when he made his first career play-off start – and just his 12th NBA start overall – and scored 20 points on seven-of-19 shooting in Oklahoma City’s 127-114 win to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

McCain has averaged 18.7 points per game in the Thunder’s wins in the series, regularly making use of the mid-range jumper.

“It’s what the NBA is about now,” Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s spread-out basketball – everybody that’s on the court has to be able to make a play, like it’s very position-less offensively and defensively. The better you are at guarding both positions, the more you play; the better you’re doing multiple things on offence, the more you play. It’s just how it is.”

The Spurs got physical with McCain late in Game 5, which included a hard foul by Mason Plumlee with less than two minutes remaining. That foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 1 foul on May 27 after a league review.

After the loss, San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson said they needed more out of Victor Wembanyama.

The French centre averaged more than 20 rebounds per game over the first two games of the series but has averaged just six rebounds over the last three.

He scored 20 points in Game 5 but was just four of 15 from the floor.

“I don’t think we screened well,” Spurs point guard De’Aaron Fox said. “And that’s for us screening for him and vice versa... We have to be able to screen better for each other and then play with pace.”

Fox said the formula for Game 6 was simple.

“We’ve got to play like the more desperate team,” he said.

During last season’s run to the NBA championship, the Thunder twice faced elimination, beating the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers in Game 7s.

For the Spurs, who are in the play-offs for the first time since 2019 and won their first two series of these play-offs in five or six games, the next game will be their first facing elimination for this group.

“I feel like we’ve been great when we’re desperate all year,” Stephon Castle said. “I’m excited to see how we’ll respond.”

The Spurs are 5-3 at home during the play-offs, while the Thunder are 5-1 on the road, with their only loss coming in Game 4 in San Antonio.

Meanwhile, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league will use artificial intelligence to automate calls, such as out-of-bounds decisions, to speed up games and reduce disputes over possession.

Silver compared the system to Hawk-Eye technology used in tennis, where electronic line-calling quickly determines whether a ball has landed in or out. REUTERS