Victor Wembanjama and the Spurs play with the Thunder and play in the NBA Cup finals!

The long-awaited second semi-final begins Victor Vembanyama on the bench, and the Oklahoma City team that dominates on both ends of the court (14-4). The Thunder machine is running at full speed. Jaylen Williams (17 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals) sends Isaiah Hartenstein to the bench twice, Lou Dort and Chet Holmgren (17 points) shoot from long range, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (29 points, 5 assists, 5 turnovers) is as easy as ever. OKC limits the Spurs to 9/26 on shots and despite an acrobatic wake-up call from Stephon Castle (22 points), the Thunder beat their stuff (31-20).

The T-Mobile Arena is thrilled to see Victor Vembanyama take the field to start the second quarter. The Frenchman wastes no time getting into his match. He scored on the first possession of the period, followed by another offensive rebound and an assist on a Dylan Harper 3-pointer. If he shows prodigality, his impact is undeniable and the Spurs close the gap (33-29).

The Wembey effect

The Thunder, however, are using French’s exit to add another layer. He again controls the rebound, causes turnovers and systematically punishes the Spurs to take a sixteen-length lead (47-31).

Mitch Johnson then restarts Wemby in the last four minutes of the half and repeats! His energy overwhelms his teammates, the Thunder’s offense grinds to a halt, and San Antonio claws its way back into the game. A 3-pointer by De’Aaron Fox (22 points) and another from Wembanyama ended a 15-2 run that gave the Spurs a -3 lead at halftime (49-46).

Spurs continue their momentum after returning from the locker room to take advantage. Devin Vassell (23 points) frustrates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, scoring 3 points on the other side, while De’Aaron Fox continues to successfully attack the circle (62-56). It was SGA who revived the Thunder with the game-winning shot, which was quickly imitated by Ajay Mitchell. MVP then puts pressure on San Antonio’s defense, gets his team back and then even gives them the lead. Sensing danger, De’Aaron Fox took charge and scored five straight points to put the Spurs up +1 before the final quarter (78-77).

A breathtaking end to the match

The duo Fox – Wemby sets the tone in this last part. They score San Antonio’s first nine points and the Texans continue to lead the race (87-82). The reigning champions, however, are not giving up. Jalen Williams’ hard layup, then Alex Caruso’s 3-pointer immediately put the two teams back. Alex Caruso then made two steals, a thunderous dunk and layup and slammed his fist on the table (93-90).

As the intensity skyrocketed, Victor Wembanyama returned for the final five minutes. His left hand alley-oop connects the two teams. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander responds by canceling the baseline, and Devin Vassell tops it with a 3-pointer (99-98). Jaylen Williams, Wemby, Alex Caruso and Lou Dort chained great actions on both sides of the court, and after an offensive rebound and two free throws by the French, the Spurs have a four-point advantage at 80 seconds of the game (105-101).

The Thunder then tried everything to come back, but Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs didn’t give up their free throws to pull off an upset and advance to the NBA Cup Finals.

WHAT TO REMEMBER

– Playoff game in December. 41% shooting success for both teams, less than 30% from 3-point range, 35 turnovers! We were treated to a real trench war between Thunder and Spurs, a match with playoff intensity! The young Spurs are growing at a rapid pace, led by the dominant Victor Vembanyama, but the contributions of De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell and Dylan Harper are huge. In contrast, SGA and the reigning champions have shown that it will take a sustained effort to hope to beat them. The two teams will meet twice in the next eight days. Get the popcorn out while you wait for the eventual playoff series in the spring!

– Amazing performance by Webi in the second quarter. For his return from injury, Victor Wembanyama was limited in minutes by the Spurs medical staff. The Frenchman did not play the first quarter, and played seven minutes in the second quarter. San Antonio lost 17 minutes without him on the court by 23 points in the first half. They won their seven minutes… with 20 points! Wemby struggled on both sides of the pitch, and although he lost three possessions, his energy, intensity and presence completely changed the face of the match. He continued the momentum even after the break. The Thunder couldn’t finish in the paint when they were on the court.

– Thunder is uncomfortable for the first time this season. The Thunder’s trademark is their ability to cause opponents to lose possession and make them pay cash on the other end. Last night, Spurs were equal in this area. They lost four more turnovers than OKC, but scored one more point on these turnovers (26-25). The Spurs’ activity hampered the Thunder, and the scarecrow Wemby forced Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to lose five balls on mistakes that he almost never makes.

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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.