OKC Thunder Take Care of Business in Preseason Opener, Beat Spurs 112-107

Oklahoma City's notable veteran and rookie acquisitions made positive impressions all night.

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. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder started their preseason on the right foot, beating the San Antonio Spurs in an entertaining, 112-107 bout.

Rookie second-rounder Ajay Mitchell led Thunder scorers with 19 points, making seven of his nine 2-point attempts.

Jalen Williams scored 18 points on 14 shots, additionally chipping in four rebounds and three assists in 17 minutes.

Julian Champagnie paced the Spurs, scoring 22 points including six 3-pointers. His seven rebounds tied for the San Antonio lead with Jeremy Sochan.

Oklahoma City won the offensive rebounding (11-9) and turnover (21-15) battles, reflecting the four factors' importance.

Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins and Ousmane Dieng joined mainstays Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren in Oklahoma City's inaugural 2024-25 starting lineup. Mark Daigneault played Wallace, Wiggins, Dieng, Isaiah Joe and rookie Dillon Jones to kick off the second half.

The Thunder got off to a slow and noticeably rusty start, committing multiple turnovers and going scoreless in the first two minutes before Jalen Williams made a top-of-the-key triple.

San Antonio's early game plan consisted of driving into the paint and kicking out to open shooters — Sochan and Champagnie were those beneficiaries, each splashing a 3-pointer to excite the Frost Bank Center crowd.

New additions Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso checked in at the six-minute mark. Hartenstein and Holmgren flashed their immense defensive potential, each taking turns roaming the paint and contesting rim attempts.

Hartenstein assisted Caruso on a nifty behind-the-head pass for a smooth baseline jumper, his first made shot in a Thunder uniform. Caruso connected with Holmgren on an alley-oop layup a possession later to force a Spurs timeout.

Oklahoma City went on a 10-0 run in the middle of the first quarter, with all 10 points coming from Holmgren and Wallace layups. Holmgren scored 10 points in the opening frame on 5-for-5 shooting, but he went to the locker room after a fall that seemed to affect his groin area.

Mitchell fed Isaiah Hartenstein for a layup over Blake Wesley, marking his first Thunder points. Mitchell then drove past Sandro Mamukelashvili to score an uncontested layup.

Mamukelashvili drained two consecutive 3-pointers to get San Antonio back into the game, but a Caruso sideline out-of-bounds lob to Williams gave the Thunder a five-point lead after the first quarter.

Hartenstein recorded an offensive rebound and putback layup and Caruso nabbed a paint steal to kick off the second period, demonstrating their uncommon abilities on this Thunder roster.

Mitchell looked comfortable getting to the rim, making all four of his layup attempts in the first half. Dillon Jones scored his first Thunder points on a 10-foot paint pull-up jumper.

Williams made back-to-back 3-pointers and an and-one free-throw line jump shot to close the first half, giving Oklahoma City a 58-45 halftime lead.

Hartenstein racked up eight rebounds in his 17 first-half minutes, including three on the offensive glass, and dished out seven assists to fuel the Thunder offense. He and Caruso each tallied a steal and block, forcing numerous deflections on San Antonio pass attempts. The offseason additions were both a +20 at halftime.

Oklahoma City's defense held the Spurs to 16-for-46 (34.8%) shooting and 8-for-25 (32.0%) from beyond the arc in the opening half.

Their rim protection suffered in the second half with Holmgren and Hartenstein sitting out. The Spurs made their first six restricted area shot attempts after halftime, highlighted by Sochan's aggressiveness and a slick Tre Jones cut to the basket.

Dieng faked a dribble handoff to Joe and slammed a high-flying dunk for his play of the night. Dillon Jones showcased tough shotmaking, pronounced by multiple side-step mid-range jumpers, to keep Oklahoma City in front for most of the third quarter.

Malaki Branham drained two 3-pointers in a row as part of a 10-0 Spurs run to tie the game at 82 apiece. Reigning No. 4 pick Stephon Castle hammered a vicious dunk over Alex Ducas, sparking loud "Go Spurs Go" chants. The Thunder held a narrow two-point lead entering the final frame.

Both teams rested their starters throughout the fourth quarter. Alex Ducas recorded his first five Thunder points on a layup and left-corner triple. He made two impressive blocks, including a no-jump strip on Nathan Mensah.

Exhibit 10 signing Malevy Leons provided active perimeter defense and made two interior buckets.

The Thunder host the Houston Rockets this Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. CST for their second preseason game.

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