Forget the MVP finalists Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama. Everyone expected Jared McCain and Alex Caruso to shine in the Western Conference finals, right? Right??

Subscribe to read this story ad-free

Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.

Oklahoma City’s role players made all the difference last night in Game 5, and have throughout the series, as the Thunder have taken a 3-2 lead over the San Antonio Spurs. Our Rohan Nadkarni dives in. Also, England’s Jude Bellingham is our World Cup spotlight today.

For more coverage, as always, check out the NBC News website.

NBA Playoffs

The Oklahoma City Thunder are one win away from reaching their second straight NBA Finals after beating the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 last night. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 in the win, and now the Thunder have a chance to close out the Spurs in San Antonio tomorrow.

OKC’s depth has been a major factor in this series. The Thunder won despite missing injured All-Star forward Jalen Williams as well as guard Ajay Mitchell for the second straight game. Making his first playoff start, McCain scored 20 points. Meanwhile, Caruso, Kenrich Williams and Cason Wallace combined to score 37 off the bench.

“I never take it for granted when someone steps into a role like that in a game like this,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said of McCain. “I’m certainly not surprised. He’s got great moxie and confidence.”

Gilgeous-Alexander added, on Caruso: “He’s one of the best competitors in the NBA, night in and night out. He sets that tone for us as a group. It’s coming full-fledged in this series.”

The Spurs, on the other hand, have gotten inconsistent production from their stars and role players alike. Last night, guards De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper combined to score only 14 points on 5-of-20 shooting.

Wembanyama had his worst game of the series, recording only 20 points, six rebounds and one assist on 4-of-15 shooting. Wemby missed all five of his threes and struggled to get into the paint. He also declined to speak with the media after the game.

“He’s got to take more than 15 shots, even with the free throws,” San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson said postgame. “He’s going to have to score more than 20 points, for sure.”

Johnson added: “OKC did a good job. We’ve got to do a better job.”

World Cup Countdown

Leading up to the 2026 World Cup, we’re counting down 26 players to watch. Today’s entry is England’s Jude Bellingham.

Even by Real Madrid’s lofty standards, the club had a particularly star-studded roster this season — a real who’s who of the best young soccer players in the world. At forward, the team has France’s Kylian Mbappé, plus Brazil’s Vinícius Júnior and his fellow countryman Rodrygo.

Then there’s Jude Bellingham, the 22-year-old Englishman, in midfield. “He’s the best player they have,” former Dutch great Ruud Gullit told beIN Sports, a Qatari TV network, last year.

The same could be said of England’s 2026 World Cup team. The English have talent everywhere — Harry Kane at striker, Bukayo Saka on the wing, Declan Rice in midfield. But Bellingham could be the best of them this summer.

Bellingham is tall, athletic and an all-around skilled midfielder who often draws comparisons to the French legend Zinedine Zidane. When Bellingham was young, he told L’Équipe, his father always wore a fake Zidane shirt. One day, Bellingham finally asked about it, and his father told him to watch YouTube highlights.

Now he plays midfield for Real Madrid and wears No. 5 — the same number Zidane wore for the same team, two decades ago.

“I have said in many interviews how much I admire Zinedine Zidane,” Bellingham said in 2023, according to The Associated Press. “I am not trying to be the same as him, I am just trying to be Jude, but it is definitely a bit of a homage to how great he was.”

At the 2024 Euros, Bellingham emerged as a true star. In the round of 16 against Slovakia, he scored a brilliant, 95th-minute equalizer to save England — and allow Kane to win the game in extra time. In the quarterfinals, he helped beat Switzerland on penalties. Then he set up England’s only goal in the final, before the English ultimately lost to Spain 2-1.

England enters the World Cup still looking for its first major trophy since 1966. If Bellingham ends that streak, they’ll be wearing his shirt for years to come.

Yesterday’s entry was Spain’s Lamine Yamal. Read about him here.

What We’re Reading

Jalen Brunson was part of the Knicks’ last NBA Finals team — as a toddler. Our Andrew Greif spoke with former Knicks players who played with his father, Rick, and remembered the young Brunson hanging around the team.

The Vegas Golden Knights completed a sweep of the Colorado Avalanche, and Vegas advanced to its third Stanley Cup Final in nine seasons.

Team USA unveiled its World Cup roster yesterday. After a drama-filled 2022 World Cup, Gio Reyna was a surprise choice for the 2026 squad. Our Tim Rohan spoke with him after the announcement.

Where are the team’s World Cup stars from? See every player’s hometown. Also, see where they all play professionally.

Packers running back Josh Jacobs was arrested on domestic abuse-related charges. Jacobs denied the allegations through his lawyers.

Travis Kelce has purchased a minority stake in the Cleveland Guardians.

What We’re Watching

We’re getting closer now to the Stanley Cup Final. In the Western Conference, the Vegas Golden Knights swept the Colorado Avalanche to secure one of the spots. But it looks as if Vegas might have to wait a bit to find out its opponent.

Out East, the Carolina Hurricanes lead the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 with Game 4 scheduled for tonight. Can the Hurricanes finally break through, or will they lose in the conference finals for the third time in four years? For Montreal, history is at stake. No Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since Montreal hoisted it in 1993.

All times are Eastern:

• 7:40 p.m.: New York Yankees vs. Kansas City Royals, on Amazon Prime
• 8 p.m.: No. 1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. No. 3 Montreal Canadiens, on TNT/HBO Max

That’s it for now! We’ll be back tomorrow.