Chet Holmgren shows athletic gifts with a quick strike

Chet Holmgren he showed off his athleticism on a fast break in Oklahoma City The Thunder’s NBA Cup semi-final match against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night.

Holmgren is in his fourth career season, all with the Thunder. He’s making significant strides as one of the best young centers in the league, especially as a two-way player.

Holmgren’s highlight reel against San Antonio came midway through the second quarter. Oklahoma City started the transition with Alex Caruso holding the ball. He threw a pass to a running Holmgren, who jumped into the air to throw down a one-handed dunk in a smooth way.

As Chet Holmgren, the Thunder played against the Spurs

It was a great highlight for Chet Holmgren, but despite his efforts, the Thunder had their 16-game winning streak snapped after losing to the Spurs 111-109.

Oklahoma City had a strong start to the game, leading 31-20 after the first quarter. It wasn’t the same after that as San Antonio responded with a solid second quarter and took control of the momentum in key moments of the fourth quarter.

Perimeter shooting made the difference in this matchup. The Spurs won this category with 13 3-pointers at 31% success. It wasn’t the same for the Thunder as they knocked down nine threes at a 24% rate.

Five players scored in double figures for Oklahoma City in the loss, including Holmgren. He finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and a block. He shot 3 of 8 from the field, including 1 of 3 from beyond the arc and 10 of 12 from the free throw line. Shai Giljus-Alexander had a solid night with 29 points and five assists, Jaylen Williams followed with 17 points and seven rebounds, Alex Caruso had 11 points and eight rebounds, while Isaiah Hartenstein had 10 points and eight rebounds.

Oklahoma City fell to 24-2 on the season, but remained atop the Western Conference standings. They are five games ahead of the Denver Nuggets and 5.5 games ahead of the Spurs.

The Thunder will try to bounce back in their next match, as they will be at home. They host the Los Angeles Clippers on December 18th at 8pm ET.