San Antonio Spurs Rally Late, Fall to Thunder in Preseason Opener

The San Antonio Spurs fell just short of a victory in their preseason-opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but showed flashes of strong defense and resilience.

Oct 7, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) shoots over Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell (25) during the first half at Frost Bank Center. / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

On a night without Victor Wembanyama, Chris Paul and Devin Vassell, the San Antonio Spurs were hoping for some production from some of their supporting cast to trump the Oklahoma City Thunder.

They got it — 12 players scored and three finished with double figures — but it simply wasn't enough to start their preseason slate with a win. Oklahoma City rallied behind Jalen Williams' 18-point performance to pull away late in the fourth quarter and secure a 112-107 victory.

Oct 7, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe (11) shoots over San Antonio Spurs forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) during the first half at Frost Bank Center. / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Behind Williams, Thunder rookie Dillon Jones notched 17 points, five rebounds and three assists as the second-highest scorer and Ajay Mitchell rounded it out with a team-high 19 points.

For the Spurs, Julian Champagnie found his groove, notching 22 points on 6-13 shooting from 3 to lead the team in scoring. Fourth-year big man Sandro Mamukelashvili came in behind him with 14 points and Malaki Branham nearly equalized Mitchell with 12 points of his own as the third-highest scorer.

READ MORE: Will Julian Champagnie Start In Place of Devin Vassell?

From the jump, Tre Jones and Keldon Johnson got the scoring started to give the Spurs an early lead, but the first quarter was largely back-and-forth and it was the Thunder which held a five-point lead at the end of 12 minutes.

From that point on, San Antonio never led again.

The Thunder kept out front of the Spurs despite several attempts to claw back in the second half, and even though Chet Holmgren suited up for only nine minutes, it was its defense that held on to secure the win: Oklahoma City tallied 23 total stocks to San Antonio's 12.

Blake Wesley — one of the Spurs' top defenders — showed out individually, notching a pair of steals on defense, but also seven assists on the other end of it. Stephon Castle recorded his first NBA points as well, showing every bit of his size and pace on multiple makes near the rim.

"I really enjoyed Blake and Steph Castle playing 'D' out there, getting after people," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich explained. "They have a great mentality ... hopefully, that will infuse to some other players."

Perhaps the most exciting play for Castle all night, however?

A one-handed throw-down over Thunder guard Alex Ducas.

STEPH ARE YOU KIDDING?!? 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/5B7FgYt7WG

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 8, 2024

Late in the fourth quarter, Ducas hit a 3-point shot to give the Thunder a 10-point lead, but still, the Spurs persisted. With 30 seconds remaining, they came as close as four points, but couldn't finish the comeback as the Thunder held on for its 112-107 win.

With the loss, the San Antonio Spurs fall to 0-1 in the preseason and the Thunder improves to 1-0. Next up for the former is another home test Wednesday against the Orlando Magic. There, they'll look to grab their first win of the season, this time with Wembanyama likely to play.

Tipoff Wednesday evening is set for 7 p.m. Central.

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