The energy was off the charts in the Frost Bank Center even before opening tip for what many hoop fans are hoping is the next great NBA rivalry. Both the Spurs and Thunder the traded blows on the offensive and defensive end in an exhilarating display of basketball that included 12 lead changes and 11 ties. Oklahoma City took a slim 60-58 lead into the locker room at halftime. The second half played out in much the same fashion with extremely high-level basketball and neither team able to pull away,
though San Antonio were the ones who took a 5 point lead heading into the 4th quarter. That chink in the Thunder armor though was enough to blow the game wide open to begin the final frame for the Spurs. They spent the vast majority of the 4th quarter just making life hell for the Thunder, who waved the white flag and pulled their starters with 3 minutes left in the game.
Led by huge performances from Stephon Castle, Harrison Barnes and a particularly special performance by Keldon Johnson off the bench, the win marks their second straight win over the defending champions and their 7th win in a row, the longest for the club since 2019. Tonight’s win sets the table for Thursday’s Christmas Day match-up in Oklahoma City pretty nicely, sending a message to anyone still doubting whether or not the Silver and Black are for real.
Game Notes
- Everything the Spurs did tonight began on the defensive end of the court. Perfect rotations and a physical presence up and down the lineup against a Thunder team that has been known for their level of aggression and physicality on defense. The Spurs have numerous guys on their roster to send at OKC’s guards, bother them with their size and physicality, and force them into tough shots when they try to get to their 1 on 1 game. The key stat? OKC shot just 7 free throws tonight, a far-cry from what they usually expect from that area, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaging 9.4 a game alone.
- Harrison Barnes truly is the ultimate vet, willing to do the dirty work for this team while also still capable of putting his head down and putting the ball in the hoop if the team needs him to score. His scoring through the first 3 quarters played a huge part in pacing San Antonio and setting them up for that huge 4th quarter runaway.
- Keldon Johnson was right there with Barnes in pacing the Spurs. His 25 points led the team tonight, getting to the paint over and over against the OKC wings and stringing the laces from 3 to the tune of 5/9 out there. He somehow ended up with just 1 rebound, but it felt like he was fighting for every inch tonight.
- Victor Wembanyama’s consecutive games with a block streak came to an end tonight, but it’s a safe guess that he would certainly tell anyone asking him that he would take this win over the streak any day. Wembanyama played 23 minutes tonight, his most since the Cup Final, but with San Antonio up so big late there’s no way of telling how much more he would have been able to play. Thankfully though, the Spurs didn’t need him out there down the stretch. His 3 at the 9 minute mark in the 4th quarter put the Spurs up double digits for good.
- Dylan Harper didn’t score a ton of points, but he was huge for this team tonight, especially in that crucial 3rd quarter when the Spurs, getting into the teeth of the defense and finding guys open. He finished with a team-high 10 assists and 0 turnovers, while his 5 steals were responsible for a nice chunk of OKC’s 13 turnovers.
- Stephon Castle going 4/6 from downtown is probably the most underrated aspect of this win. Castle, who is shooting just 28% from beyond the arc this year, hit a few big ones in the 4th quarter that kept the Thunder at arm’s length.
The rematch on Christmas Day starts at 1:30 CT on ABC and ESPN.
