Alex Caruso 31 points vs Spurs (May 18, 2026): Conference finals Game 1
31 PTS · 11-of-19 FG · 8-of-14 3P · 1-of-3 FT · 31:42 MIN
Usual: 2025-26 regular season, 55 games, Oct 21 – Apr 8 (6.1 PTS · 5.3 FGA · 18.1 MIN)
Game Score 22.8 against a usual 5.7 (+17.1)
above usual
Playoff game · against the 2025-26 regular season
No more than 2 in 100 games by players at this level finish this far above their usual: playoff games, each against the player's regular-season usual.
How the score worksWhy did Alex Caruso score 31 points?
In Game 1 of the conference finals against the Spurs on May 18, 2026, Alex Caruso scored 31 points in 31:42: 11-of-19 from the field (57.9%), 8-of-14 from three (57.1%), 1-of-3 on free throws. Before this game, Caruso averaged 6.1 points on 5.3 shots in 18.1 minutes across 55 regular-season games. The shot count was 19, against a usual 5.3. Caruso shot 57.9% from the field, against a usual 41.9%. Points by shot type, against the usual: threes 24 (2.8), two-pointers 6 (2.6). Minutes: 31:42, against a usual 18.1; Game Score per 36 minutes: 25.9, against a usual 11.4. The Thunder lost 122-115 at home against the Spurs. The box score records what changed, not why: it holds no injury, matchup or coaching information.
Generated from the box score and this season's game log. How the score works
What changed
Caruso in this game against the usual line
| Stat | This game | Usual (55 games) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes | 31:42 | 18.1 | +13.6 |
| Points | 31 | 6.1 | +24.9 |
| Shots (FGA) · FG% | 19 · 57.9% | 5.3 · 41.9% | +13.7 · +16.0 |
| 3PA · 3P% | 14 · 57.1% | 3.2 · 29.2% | +10.8 · +27.9 |
| FTA · FT% | 1-of-3 | 0.9 · 80.4% | +2.1 |
| Rebounds | 2 | 2.7 | -0.7 |
| Assists | 1 | 1.9 | -0.9 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0.9 | +1.1 |
| UsageUsual: minutes-weighted average of per-game usage, 54 games | 33.1 | 15.8 | +17.3 |
| Game Score per 36 minutes | 25.9 | 11.4 | +14.5 |
Points by shot type
Twos, threes and free throws: the changes add up to the points change
| Shot type | This game | Usual (55 games) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Threes | 24 (8-of-14) | 2.8 (0.9-of-3.2) | +21.2 |
| Twos | 6 (3-of-5) | 2.6 (1.3-of-2.1) | +3.4 |
| Free throws | 1 (1-of-3) | 0.7 (0.7-of-0.9) | +0.3 |
| Total | 31 | 6.1 | +24.9 |
Game Score
One measure of the whole box score line
22.8 against a usual 5.7 (+17.1)
Its five parts
| Part | Change |
|---|---|
| Scoring, net of shot attempts | +18.1 |
| Rebounds | -0.4 |
| Assists | -0.6 |
| Steals and blocks | +1.9 |
| Turnovers and fouls | -1.9 |
| Total | +17.1 |
This postseason so far
Playoff games in date order, this game last; no score
| Date | Round | Opp | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 2026 | First round · Game 1 | vs PHX | 13:18 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2.5 |
| Apr 22, 2026 | First round · Game 2 | vs PHX | 23:30 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 6.8 |
| Apr 25, 2026 | First round · Game 3 | @ PHX | 22:24 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 11.6 |
| Apr 27, 2026 | First round · Game 4 | @ PHX | 25:06 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 10.2 |
| May 5, 2026 | Conference semifinals · Game 1 | vs LAL | 20:24 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3.9 |
| May 7, 2026 | Conference semifinals · Game 2 | vs LAL | 22:30 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6.6 |
| May 9, 2026 | Conference semifinals · Game 3 | @ LAL | 20:12 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 6.8 |
| May 11, 2026 | Conference semifinals · Game 4 | @ LAL | 21:48 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 6.2 |
| May 18, 2026This game | Conference finals · Game 1 | vs SAS | 31:42 | 31 | 2 | 1 | 22.8 |
Context
From the rows this page already reads
- The Thunder lost 122-115 at home against the Spurs.
- Previous appearance: May 11, 2026, 7 days earlier.
- No earlier games in this series.
- The source holds fewer Thunder regular-season games than the 2025-26 regular season had, so the usual line counts only the games it holds.
What this page cannot tell you
The same on every performance page
Box scores record what happened, not why: no injuries or health, defensive assignments, matchups, coaching decisions or play-by-play.
Game Score against the player's own regular-season usual line, never blended with last season. How rare a gap is comes from NBA playoff games of 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26, each postseason checked on a table fit on the others; the top tier is Rare.