The Oklahoma City Thunder pulled off an impressive 119-98 home victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night, ending an unprecedented three-game losing streak against their rising Western Conference rival. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the defending champions with 34 points as he dismissed the idea that the victory had special meaning.
“Tonight was not our Super Bowl,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It was nothing but another game in an 82-game season.”
The Spurs had stunned Oklahoma City three straight times in less than two weeks, including a 111-109 win in the NBA Cup semifinals on December 13, a 30-point blowout on December 23 and a 15-point victory on Christmas Day. These losses led to widespread speculation about whether San Antonio would pose a real threat to the Thunder’s championship aspirations.
“I can’t remember the last time a team beat us three times in our own regular season,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who added five assists and four blocks. “So it was a little bit of a different feeling, a little bit strange for us.”
Oklahoma City’s physical defensive scheme effectively neutralized Victor Wembanyama’s impact in the second half. The 7-foot center managed just seven points and two rebounds after halftime, finishing with 17 points and seven boards overall as the Thunder reaffirmed their superiority.
The defending champions attacked the basket aggressively despite Wembanyama’s shot-blocking skills, scoring 56 points in the paint. Oklahoma City made 10 of 14 shots (71.4%) Wembanyama contested, compared to 16 of 39 (41.0%) in their previous three meetings.
“Tonight’s result tells us that if we play a certain way, with a certain sense of urgency, with a certain sense of power, aggressiveness and attention to detail, it doesn’t matter who is on the other side,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
Jalen Williams contributed 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting in the paint without attempting a three-pointer. The Thunder outscored San Antonio 40-24 in the third quarter, seizing control in what many viewed as a statement in response to their recent struggles.
Despite the heightened atmosphere at Paycom Center, where Wembanyama was often booed, Thunder players played down rivalry discussions. The French center acknowledged hearing one blasphemy against him and called it “good sport.”
“If you ask, it probably isn’t one yet,” Williams said. “You don’t really have to guess if there was a rivalry between the old Lakers and Celtics.”
The Thunder (34-7) maintained their plus-13.2 average differential and remained on pace to break the NBA record they set during last season’s 68-win campaign.
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