Thunder-Spurs Game 3 Gets Heated After Foul on Stephon Castle Sparks Fan Response

May 20, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) dunks over Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) during the second quarter during game two of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Thunder-Spurs Game 3 Gets Heated After Foul on Stephon Castle Sparks Fan Response

Originally posted on AirJordanChronicles
By Nandjee Ranjan | Last updated May 23, 2026 4:09 AM ET

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The San Antonio Spurs-OKC Thunder series maintained the hype as OKC took the lead in Game 3. However, Oklahoma’s Ajay Mitchell’s flagrant foul, leading to an altercation between the teams in the third quarter, earned a sharp response from fans.

Victor Wembanyama forced Shai Gilgeous-Alexander into the corner, who then passed the ball to Alex Caruso. Devin Vassell read the play early, stole the ball, and threw a long pass to Stephon Castle in a fast break.

Castle caught the ball before the basket and went for an easy layup. However, Ajay Mitchell, who was right behind him, pushed Castle in mid-air. The move irked Vassell, who shoved Mitchell. Tension escalated, forcing security to intervene.

SGA and Chet Holmgren also tried to calm the situation down. Mitchell was slapped with a Flagrant 1 and a technical. Vassell was also assessed a technical foul.

Tempers flaring in San Antonio.

Spurs didn't care for Ajay Mitchell's foul on Stephon Castle.pic.twitter.com/Tz6G6iTaTg
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) May 23, 2026

OKC ended up winning the game 128-108. However, tension was also apparent on social media as fans didn’t approve of Ajay Mitchell’s actions.

Fans react to the Spurs-Thunder altercation after a hard foul from Ajay Mitchell

Some fans were upset with players committing unnecessary fouls in an already injury-ridden series. “Somebody can get hurt, man, stop doing unnecessary fouls,” a fan wrote.

The Thunder had already committed five fouls in the early minutes of the third quarter, and some fans had some strong opinions.

“The only way they can beat the Thunder. The refs have to cheat for them. So sad that the calls are going one way. Beat the Thunder on your own,” the fan wrote.

While some fans argued the official could’ve ruled it a common foul, others supported the officials’ decision. “Pushed in the back midair, but y’all wanna say this is a common foul,” the fan wrote.

Then again, the Spurs vs. Thunder has been a high-stakes series. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year (Wembanyama) and the reigning MVP (Gilgeous-Alexander) are trying to lead the top two teams to the NBA Finals.

One fan wrote that despite the fouls, neither team will take any big risks. “Please, neither team is gonna do anything. One is too soft, and the other is too smart,” the fan wrote.

This article first appeared on AirJordanChronicles and was syndicated with permission.

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