The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are knotted up with one win apiece in the 2026 Western Conference Finals. The reigning champs bounced back with a Game 2 victory after being upset in Game 1, despite seeing Jalen Williams go down with yet another hamstring injury. Now they'll have to adjust their mindset and strategy ahead of tonight's Game 3 matchup.
Williams' status for Friday is up in the air, but other OKC players can feast during his absence if he's ruled out. We've evaluated the options on the table to identify the best betting value available. Continue below for our NBA parlay picks for Thunder vs. Spurs Game 3 on Friday, May 22.
NBA Parlay Picks for Friday, May 22
- Alex Caruso Over 10.5 Points (-127)
- Julian Champagnie Over 1.5 Assists (-106)
Parlay Payout: + 247 (DraftKings)
Alex Caruso Over 10.5 Points
Ajay Mitchell operated as OKC's top scoring option off the bench for a large chunk of the regular season, but Alex Caruso has ascended to another level on offense as of late. The defensive specialist's scoring chops appear set to play a major role in this third-round series.
Caruso has averaged 24.0 points while shooting better than 60.0% from the field and long range through Games 1 and 2. Only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a higher scoring average among Thunder players in the third round.
Caruso's efficiency might not be sustainable, but his shooting volume brings plenty of value to betting on his point total. Williams' injury could make him take on an even larger role moving forward.
The OKC guard didn't necessarily show out on offense when Williams was ruled out during the regular season, but he has been consistently effective against the Spurs. He posted 9.5 points per game against them through four regular meetings and eclipsed 10 points in less than 25 minutes in three of those pairings. His workload will likely continue to rise given how hot his hand has been.
The former Chicago Bull has been lethal from distance, knocking down 11 of his team-leading 18 attempts from beyond the arc in the Western Conference finals so far. That kind of production can help him thrive even when he doesn't put up 19 shots, as he did in Game 1.
Caruso's reliability hasn't wavered when he's been asked to step up this postseason, as he's converted 50.0% of his field goals and 41.4% of his 3-point attempts when Williams hasn't been available during the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
Bettors should lean toward another strong performance from Caruso in a featured bench role.
Pick: Alex Caruso Over 10.5 Points (-127)
Julian Champagnie Over 1.5 Assists
Julian Champagnie has been a significant contributor for the Spurs so far, but his playmaking is usually an afterthought. His relevance in the rotation is on the rise, though.
The 24-year-old forward has started in all 13 of San Antonio's games so far and has logged 40.0 minutes per game against the Thunder this postseason.
That workload could help his assist total, as he averaged 2.0 assists per 36 minutes during the regular season and is averaging 1.8 assists per 36 minutes in the playoffs.
Champagnie has recorded seven multi-assist games this postseason.
He can benefit from playing for a Spurs team with the third-highest field goal percentage (48.5%) in the playoffs.
Victor Wembanyama is still creating plenty of open looks for his teammates by drawing a ton of attention on offense. Champagnie can use that to his advantage as someone who has notched at least a pair of assists in more than half of the playoff games he's appeared in so far.
Pick: Julian Champagnie Over 1.5 Assists (-106)
