Spurs Hot Shooting Leads to Narrow Victory Over OKC

Strong performances from OKC's two best players was not enough to take down a Spurs team that caught fire in the second half.

Nov 19, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) fouls San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) in the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

The OKC Thunder fell 110-104 to the San Antonio Spurs, dropping its second close game in a row. Another late comeback gave the Thunder a chance to win, but they could not execute down the stretch.

Once again, it was guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and guard Jalen Williams leading the way for the Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 32 points on 11-for-20 shooting and Williams with 27 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

Aaron Wiggins, who's yet to be a consistent starter, entered into the starting lineup against the Spurs. He finished with 11 points on 4-for-10 shooting, continuing to prove his worth for the Thunder regardless of his role.

It was Wiggins who got the scoring started for OKC, but not before Spurs forward Julian Champagnie and guard Chris Paul threw five points on the scoreboard. Neither team scored after that until the nine-minute mark, with Williams tying the score. The lead ping-ponged the rest of the quarter and neither team managed to pull away. A triple from rookie guard Ajay Mitchell and a paint-score for Spurs big man Charles Bassey topped the first quarter score at 35-32 in favor of the Thunder.

At this point missing both of its starting big men, the Thunder now expect to lose all of the rebounding battles. This game was different, as the Thunder barely won the rebounding battle 47 to 45.

The Thunder led for the majority of the second quarter. A pair of free throws from Gilgeous-Alexander and a triple from rookie forward Dillon Jones extended the lead to 48-38, the largest of the game for the Thunder. A Keldon Johnson and Harrison Barnes-led run then brought the Spurs back, giving the Spurs a 60-57 lead at the half-time buzzer.

All night, Gilgeous-Alexander did his best work going to the basket or creating space in the mid-range. Using spin moves and shot fakes, the Thunder star managed to add to his scoring total. His scoring efforts in general kept the Thunder alive.

Though Gilgeous-Alexander did his part, the Spurs mounted a run to start the third quarter, thanks to a flurry of scoring from Barnes and Champagnie, increasing the lead to 14 points. The rest of the quarter offensively, for the Thunder, was a challenge. It was because of this that the Spurs finished the third section of the game with a 93-77 lead, making life much more difficult for OKC entering the fourth quarter.

Another reason for the Spurs' lead was the three-point shooting disparity, in favor of San Antonio. The Spurs went 19-for-46 for the night and OKC went 16-for-53. Gilgeous-Alexander made five and Wiggins three but without those two, the final score could have looked much worse.

Veteran guard Chris Paul continued his impressive outing to start the fourth quarter, with a contested, step-back jumper to make the lead even larger. That, coupled with a triple from Malaki Branham, might have been enough to bury the Thunder.

Williams went on a seven-point run all by himself to narrow the lead to only 14 points. That run by Williams sparked energy on the offensive side of the ball for the Thunder, marking a 21-6 run with 2:36 to play, losing 104-98. They got the lead down to six points, but it was not enough to capture the victory.

OKC looks to snap its two-game losing streak against the Portland Trailblazers at 7:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at home.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.