The San Antonio Spurs got off to one of the best starts in NBA playoff history, jumping out to a 15-0 lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3. They ended up losing 123-108.

The Spurs managed to hold Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoreless in the first quarter, although it didn't really matter, as the Thunder outshot the Spurs from deep, 44 percent to 31 percent. On top of that, OKC's bench was elite, scoring 77 second-unit points to just 24 by the Spurs.

Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox were the only two Spurs' rotation players to finish with a positive plus/minus/ Keldon Johnson was at -23, and Luke Kornet was at -18.

If the Spurs want to stay in the series, they need to demand more from their bench players.

READ MORE: Devin Vassell Details Spurs' Game 3 Dust-Up With Thunder

READ MORE: Spurs Fizzle Out After Hot Start, Drop Game 3 to Thunder

READ MORE: Wemby Takes Blame For Game 3 Loss while Forcing NBA Roster Rethink

During the Spurs' 15-0 opening run, they got out in transition and pulled up from 3-point range early in the shot clock, or got downhill as quickly as possible.

Fans can't expect 48 minutes of that fast-paced action, but as soon as Mitch Johnson gave the starters a rest, the second unit slammed on the brakes, killing all of the momentum the Spurs started with.

"I think we were really sharp to start the game," said the head coach. "Obviously, we didn't sustain it, and that wasn't sustainable, how we started, but I thought we played very fast. And I think that's something that tapered off as the game went along, and we have to find a way to do that. And part of that's on me to help the whole group, not just the bench, but to continue to play fast and get out and get some easy opportunities. And then obviously thought we could have done a much better job of crashing the glass tonight, making a more concerted effort. There was a lot of misses to go get, and we didn't get enough of them."

The players, too, were aware that playing with speed and keeping OKC running was key to a win. Instead, their defense faltered, and they started using up all 24 seconds of the shot clock.

"Our second set of people that come off the bench, they thrive in transition and thrive off certain things, so us getting down transition and playing faster, I think it'll be a huge advantage for us," offered Devin Vassell.

After Wembanyama slammed the bench following the Game 2 loss earlier this week, he placed the blame on the team as a whole. That makes sense, given that while the Spurs got off to their blistering start, it took Wemby a while to settle down and lead the offense.

"I feel like each and every one of us has got to be better," demanded Wembanyama. "I think it's just as a team, as an organization, when there's a lot of new experiences, we're just going to have to find the answers."

The Spurs are on their back heels and will have to answer in Game 4 on Sunday night, once again in front of a rabid San Antonio fanbase.