Holmgren and Dort Shine, Thunder Cruise to Home Victory

A consistent combination of performances from multiple Thunder players aided in its fourth win of the season.

Oct 30, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots as Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) defends during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

A nearly flawless performance from Thunder big man Chet Holmgren led OKC to a 105-93 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. The win is the fourth consecutive one for OKC, leaving them as one of two undefeated teams remaining in the NBA, alongside the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Holmgren finished with 19 points, five rebounds and two blocks on 7-for-10 shooting in another impressive performance.

The Thunder center was everywhere on the court and did everything he could on defense to prevent the Spurs from scoring. A rival of Holmgren's, San Antonio center Victor Wembanyama, got a little banged up with an apparent injury, a reason for Holmgren's impressive two-way performance.

He scored 15 opening-half points, only six of which came in the first quarter. Both were three-point makes, practically his only weakness so far in the early parts of the season.

A combination of Wembanyama and forward Harrison Barnes got the scoring going for the Spurs, scoring eight of its first 10 points. There wasn't another lead from San Antonio after that point. A mix of scorers for the Thunder after San Antonio's first 10 points enhanced the Thunder lead to 26-19 at the end of the first quarter.

Holmgren continued his impressive scoring streak into the second quarter, again with a blend of Thunder players getting involved offensively.

The second quarter was the Thunders' best from the perimeter the entire game, going 7-for-12. Two of those triples came from guard Lu Dort and the rest from Holmgren, star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, rookie Ajay Mitchell and Isaiah Joe.

At the halftime point, the Thunder led 59-44, looking as if the game was out of reach. A momentum swing would come later in the third quarter that would turn the tide of the game and give the Spurs a chance.

Throughout the whole game, Wembanyama, the Spurs star player, failed to get going. He finished with six points, eight rebounds and three blocks on 1-for-5 shooting, adding on four turnovers. It was certainly not Wembanyama's best performance and in what would be a close game, his inefficient scoring would have been needed.

OKC nearly got the lead to 20 points early in the third quarter but allowed the lead to narrow shortly after. San Antonio caught fire from the perimeter in the third quarter with big triples from Barnes and forward Keldon Johnson. Johnson's triple with 2:33 remaining in the period cut the lead to 77-70, giving the Thunder a bit of a scare. A three-point make from Joe gave OKC a little more breathing room, ending the quarter with an 82-70 lead.

Looking for separation, Holmgren and Mitchell pushed the lead to 14 points with two impressive scores in the paint. Mitchell had his best game as a member of the Thunder so far, finishing with 12 points and 4 rebounds on 5-for-6 shooting. His intensity on defense was also a difference maker to start the final quarter.

The Thunder closed the game out easily after Holmgren and Mitchell's buckets, ending with a final score of 105-93. Dort led the Thunder in scoring with 20 points and Barnes did for the Spurs, finishing with 18, slightly ahead of forward Jeremy Sochan with 17.

OKC's next matchup is against the Portland Trailblazers in Portland at 9 p.m. PCT on Friday, Nov. 1 at the Moda Center.

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