The San Antonio Spurs confirmed that they are more than an alternative to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the fight for the ring after defeating the reigning NBA champions 130-110 for the second time in two weeks.
They didn’t even need a big performance from Victor Wembanyama, who came off the bench for the sixth straight game to protect him from the calf injury that caused him to miss 12 games between November and December.
The French colossus had 12 points (5-of-9 shooting) and 5 rebounds in 23 minutes of play. Keldon Johnson became the unexpected guest of the night with 25 points and 10-of-16 shooting off the bench, while more regulars Stephon Castle and Harrison Barnes contributed 24 and 20 points respectively.
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For the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was too lonely with 33 points.
Jalen WIlliams scored 17 points and Chet Holmgren was held to 7, with 3 successful shots on 10 attempts.
If the first victory of the Spurs (22-7) over Oklahoma (26-4), in the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas, was tight (111-109) and could be interpreted as a surprise for the then almost unbeatable Thunder, tonight’s triumph was resounding and a wake-up call for the champions.
The Spurs are no longer a team of the future, but aspire to start doing great things now.
This was demonstrated by the fans at San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center, which created an atmosphere more akin to the playoffs than to this time of year.
The journey through the desert has been a long one for Spurs, accustomed to winning more than losing in the 21st century.
Until 2020, they completed 22 consecutive seasons with a positive balance in the regular phase, followed by 6 consecutive negative ones since then.
The ‘O’s’ chanted by the crowd in the last quarter, unusual for the NBA and when the game was not decided, were a reflection of San Antonio’s eagerness to get back to winning ways.
A devastating last quarter
Before defeating the Thunder by 20 points thanks to a fantastic last quarter (43-28), the Texans fought a battle with the champion, which had 15 alternations in the lead of the game.
Steals, which usually give Oklahoma a lot of free points, turned against them on Tuesday.
And it was the Spurs who dominated in this area (10-4) to score 19 points in transition.
The first and second quarters ended with a slight Thunder lead (58-60), which was maintained until midway through the third period, when the Spurs’ rebellion began.
Johnson leads takeoff
A three-pointer by Johson off a pass from De’Aaron Fox capped a 10-0 run for the hosts that put the score at 84-76 with 2:26 left in the quarter, the largest lead of the night.
Although Gilgeous-Alexander responded with another triple after a Thunder timeout, Johnson answered again from the perimeter.
Only a three-pointer by Luke Dort in the last second managed to close the gap to five points.
That’s when the Spurs’ attacking ecstasy began, supported by Luke Kornet’s hard work in rebounding in the absence of Wembanyama, and who didn’t let Holmgren, who had disappeared, do anything.
Spurs impose their authority
Dort made another three-pointer at 95-86 to cut the deficit, but he overstretched one of his legs and tripped his defender, which nullified the basket for an offensive foul.
Immediately after, Wembaynama entered the court and scored a three-pointer on his first possession.
He dished out two assists in the four minutes he was on the court to increase the gap to 15 points (105-90).
Two subsequent three-pointers by the Spurs forced the Thunder to bring out the white flag and think about Christmas Day, when they will meet again.
It will be the third game in two weeks and the first in Oklahoma.
The balance: 2-0 for the contenders.
With information from EFE
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