The Oklahoma City Thunder knew they had to flip the script after that exhausting double-overtime loss on Monday. They came out Wednesday night with a completely different defensive mindset, flying around the floor and making life miserable for the San Antonio Spurs' ball handlers, and walked away with a 122-113 win to tie the Western Conference Finals at 1-1.

Oklahoma City grabbed the lead late in the first quarter and pretty much lived in front for the rest of the night. The big story was the Thunder’s pressure defense, which rattled San Antonio into 21 turnovers. Every time the Spurs started to make a run and threaten to take over, Oklahoma City found a way to get a stop or hit a timely bucket.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looked every bit like the league MVP, especially after struggling with his shot in the series opener. He led the charge with 30 points and nine assists, and when things got a little frantic in the closing moments, he buried a tough jumper to put the game away. Right after the shot, he turned to his teammates and gestured for them to calm down, showing that veteran poise when it mattered most.

The Spurs didn't go down without a fight. Victor Wembanyama put up another massive stat line, finishing with 21 points, 17 rebounds, six assists, and four blocks. San Antonio also got a huge scoring lift from Stephon Castle, who stepped up with 25 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. The flip side, though, was that Oklahoma City's traps really bothered the young guard. Castle ended up coughing up nine of the Spurs' 21 turnovers, which turned out to be too much to overcome.

It was exactly the type of bounce-back performance Thunder coach Mark Daigneault wanted to see. In Game 1, Wembanyama was a problem, racking up 41 points and 24 rebounds, while Dylan Harper added 24 points and seven steals to help San Antonio steal home-court advantage. The Spurs actually pulled off that opening win without De'Aaron Fox, who was sidelined with ankle stiffness.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson talked about mental toughness after Monday's win, but turning the ball over that many times on the road makes it almost impossible to win in the postseason.

Now, the tide turns back to San Antonio as the series heads south for Game 3. If the Thunder can keep playing defense with this kind of intensity, we are in for a long, fun series.