San Antonio Spurs' Losing Streak Continues in Oklahoma City Thunder Blowout
In just their second In-Season Tournament contest of the season, the San Antonio Spurs hit the road to Oklahoma City Thunder to face a team that's set to be their next league rival.
The stage was set. A bright blue court highlighted the floor of Paycom Center, the Thunder had its special uniforms on and the entire basketball world was watching to see Victor Wembanyama take on Chet Holmgren.
But despite the circumstances, Tuesday night was anything but a rivalry.
Nov 14, 2023; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren drives past San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama during the second quarter at Paycom Center.
© Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
Entering halftime, San Antonio found itself down by 10, and instead of making up the slack coming out of the break, it only got worse. Oklahoma City dominated the latter 24 minutes and never let the Spurs get back into it, securing a 123-87 home victory.
Neither Wembanyama nor Holmgren had a standout performance, as both tallied eight and nine points, respectively. But while the focus wasn't on them, it was found elsewhere. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 28 points on 10-16 shooting and Josh Giddey scored 18 of his own to silence rumors of his expiring clock with the Thunder, and the Spurs couldn't keep up.
That wasn't the case for the entirety of the game, however.
From the jump, both squads went toe-to-toe with each other. The Spurs rallied behind Devin Vassell and Zach Collins — who led the scoring with a combined 25 points on the night — and even took multiple leads in the first quarter.
By the end of the first period, Oklahoma City had a three point lead, and through the second quarter, that held until the end. Sloppy offense from the Spurs led to a late game run, and with just two seconds to play in the half, Holmgren slammed a fast break to give the Thunder a double-digit lead heading to the locker room.
Ten points was the smallest the lead got the rest of the way.
Out of the break, the Thunder added points to its cushion behind Giddey and Gilgeous-Alexander, who each found the bottom of the bucket multiple times in the first few minutes. Jeremy Sochan was able to find a groove as a point guard, looking stronger as a passer and even hitting an almost-3-pointer to help give the Spurs more momentum, but it was to no avail.
The fourth quarter saw no action — and little star playing time — from both teams, as Oklahoma City continued to roll while San Antonio grasped for any bits of life it could find. But ultimately, it fell short on the road in what would have been a statement win, falling 123-87 for its eighth defeat of the season.
With the loss, the Spurs fall to 3-8 on the year and suffer their sixth straight loss. Wembanyama and the rest of the starters have grown in their comfort levels, but still aren't quite there. San Antonio will have a chance to start turning that around on Friday night, however, when it faces the Kings.
If it can grab a win there — back on its In-Season Tournament court — it could signal the eminence of a win streak. Until then, it'll have to wait in preparation.
Tipoff from Frost Bank Center is set for 6:30 p.m. CST Friday.
