Spurs confirm and beat Thunder: +20!

Ten days after theirs Semifinals of the NBA Cup in Las Vegas, Spurs and the Thunder were face to face again this night. After Oklahoma City’s Big Three, the Thunder quickly took the lead, but Harrison Barnes (20 points) and Devin Vassell (17 points) responded immediately (11-11). The two teams are fighting and in the end Keldon Johnson’s seven points off the bench put San Antonio ahead (31-29).

Mitch Johnson’s men continue their momentum, and De’Aaron Fox’s shooting from the middle (6 points, 9 assists) gives them an eight-point lead (41-33). Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (33 points, 8 assists), with a very good assist from Isaiah Joe, allowed OKC to respond with a 12-2 run and regain the lead (45-43). The level then increases by a step.

Devin Vassell, Jalen Williams (17 points), Harrison Barnes, Lou Dort (15 points) go shot for shot, and finally it’s the touch of the MVP that allows the Thunder to lead at the break (60-58).

Untouchable Spurs!

The back and forth continues even stronger in the second half. Two game-winning shots by Barnes and Vassell start the rivalry, and SGA immediately responds (66-66). Jalen Williams and Lou Dort also hit from long range, and this time it’s Stephon Castle and Victor Vembanyama (12 points, 5 rebounds) who responded with two dunks (74-74). The Spurs then made an effort thanks to Dylan Harper (10 passes, 5 interceptions). Novak continues with circular attacks and passes, intercepts the ball, before dunking in the counterattack and bringing San Antonio to +8 (84-76)!

Grom takes it and collects it. Lou Dort scores an important three-pointer at the end of the third quarter, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander starts the last period with two new shots from the middle (89-86). Full of confidence, the Spurs add another layer. They turned up the defensive intensity and made three stops, while Wembie’s three-pointer finished with a 9-0 run that gave them a twelve-point lead (98-86). SGA tries to rouse their troops, but the Spurs are on cloud nine. Wemby finds Johnson under the circle and the deficit increases to +15 (105-90)!

OKC is trying everything, but there is nothing to do. Two triples by Stephon Castle and Keldon Johnson brought the Spurs to +18! With more than three minutes to play, Mark Deno raises the white flag. The two teams will meet again on Christmas Day in Oklahoma City in another exciting matchup.

WHAT TO REMEMBER

– The Spurs beat the Thunder in their game. In addition to a talented roster, the Thunder have built their success on an aggressive defense that causes a lot of turnovers and an offensive leader who is hard to slow down and capable of dominating the pace of the game by making numerous free throws. Spurs lost only 8 balls last night, and provoked 15 from Thunder, to score 20 points! They also limited the Thunder to just seven free throws, including five by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, while making 24. By dominating these two aspects of the game, San Antonio dominated the game.

– Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lonely. If MVP scored 33 points on 14/22 shooting, his lieutenants had a hard time dealing with San Antonio’s aggressive defense and their long stretches. Jaylen Williams needed 18 shots to score 17 points, while Chet Holmgren finished the game 3/10 on the field, with no defensive effort. Sure, the Thunder played a day earlier while the Spurs arrived fresher, but it’s the first time this season that OKC has dominated head and shoulders.

– Keldon Johnson and Dylan Harper decider. From the moment he entered the game, Keldon Johnson was like a lion in a cage. As from the beginning of the season, he was decisive in the role of the seventh player. He found his rhythm and was effective from start to finish. 25 points on 10/16 shooting, and a three that served as a shot. Mitch Johnson could also count on Dylan Harper. Novak played nervously, and relentlessly attacked the Thunder defense. He often managed to win one-on-one matches and had a caviar festival to find his teammates. He finished with 10 assists and it was he who gave San Antonio control of the game in the third quarter. He used the same anger to steal five balloons!

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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; +/- = Difference of points when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.