It’s the Thunder’s turn to send a message to the Spurs!

Led by San Antonio since the start of the season, Oklahoma City showed confidence last night by overcoming the debates against their second-place finisher in the West. Marc Daigneault’s men were unstoppable after the break to head home Victor Vembanyama (17 points, 7 rebounds) and teammates. As often, it is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander which set the tone (34 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks), and the rest followed.

Victor Wembanyama, however, set the tone from the start by dominating Chet Holmgren twice to finish on the lap.

Despite Dylan Harper’s help, OKC finished the first act better, led by SGA’s brilliant 12-2 run that went past the premises at the end of the period (32-26). The Castle-Champagne-Vembanyama trio kept the Spurs in the game until the break (55-52), and then after returning from the locker room to prolong the suspense, until the Giljus-Alexander-Williams tandem changed gears with an 11-0 run to take the lead (73-62).

Hit in the right knee, Wemby then saw the Thunder lead off the bench. Despite the answers from De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle, the reigning champions hit their head with a 12-0 run, a run marked once again by the great Jalen Williams and SGA (85-69). Three-pointers by SGA and Kenrich Williams definitely put San Antonio out of the race, even before the end of the third quarter (95-76).

Because despite his 14-2 to start the last act, San Antonio was unable to shake the Thunder (102-90). After throws by Ajay Mitchell and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, it was Alex Caruso who settled the matter by scoring three goals, including a 3-pointer to put the Spurs away, this time for good. Isaiah Joe’s 3-pointer highlighted a perfect night for the Thunder, winning 119-98.

WHAT TO REMEMBER

– SGA shows strength. Another one for the Finals MVP who once again justified his status as the boss of the league’s best team. Rough start, then the machine took off, finished the first quarter on 4/4 shooting. We will especially remember his 15 points in the third quarter capped off by this 3-point knockout for the Spurs who were in awe all night.

– Wembey’s mistakes. The NBA always holds its breath as soon as the Frenchman gets injured, and there were many warnings about this matchup. First there was knee-to-knee contact on an SGA drive that sent him back to the locker room, an incident of the game that helped turn the game in OKC’s favor. Upon his return, there was contact with Chet Holmgren and a slight ankle sprain at the end of the match.

– Bankruptcy of Lieut. The lieutenants of the Spurs failed in their mission by abandoning their captain in battle when he needed relief. The contributions of Harrison Barnes (2 points), De’Aaron Fox (14 points) and Keldon Johnson (9 points on 4/11 shooting), usually so valuable, were too insufficient in a match of such intensity.

– See you in February. The two teams that met in the semifinals of the NBA Cup, the fifth and final game between San Antonio and OKC remains to be played. See you on Wednesday, February 4!

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How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = point difference when the player is on the court; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.