Maybe it was because some shots were finally falling, but OKC looked confident against Spurs for the first time this season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 13 of his 34 points as the Thunder took the lead in the first quarter and never fell behind again.
And for the first time against San Antonio, the Thunder played one of their runaway third quarters to put the Spurs to bed. SGA scored 15 of those 34 in the third frame, as OKC turned a 3-point halftime lead into an impressive 19-point margin.
OKC put pressure on Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs and kept San Antonio under 100 points for the first time this season.
The starters were all defensive playmakers: three blocks for Chet Holmgren, two steals for JDub, four blocks for Shai, three steals for Cason Wallace. Temporary starter Aaron Wiggins threw in two blocks for good measure.
Holmgren has had three or more blocks in seven of his last nine games. It was never an easy night for Chet against Wemby, but he held his ground and helped limit the Spurs phenomenon to 17 points and seven rebounds.
Ajay Mitchell (11 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal) is also a legitimate playmaker on defense. While Lu Dort sat, Mitchell played an important hand in filling the perimeter alongside the other Thunder Demons. Only two players in the league have more steals in fewer minutes than the Thunder’s sophomores.
Cason is the consensus long-term (hypothetical) Dort replacement. Why not Mitchell? Daigneault has inserted a secondary playmaker with more pop (Wiggins) into the starting lineup of late, with Mitchell as the overqualified sixth man who will inevitably become a closer. I think I’m talking myself into making him the Manu 2.0 archetype that James Harden 1.0 thought he was destined to become. I shouldn’t compare him to such an exalted talent. He’s more of a Gary Payton/John Stockton hybrid.
On offense, Jalen Williams was a great co-leader on offense, scoring 20 points and shooting 9-for-11 near the rim. OKC had more points in the paint (56) than average and scored what would be the best per minute rate in the league (1.23) if Wembanyama was on the field.
The Thunder went 11-for-30 from three and went 7-for-16 while running away with the game in the second half. Oklahoma City is 15-1 in games they make more than the league average in threes (13+), and 18-2 in games they shoot better than the league average from deep (35.8%+).
Shai hypnotizing Julian Champagnie and Wemby with a pump fake before lobbying for Chet was one of the smoothest plays of the season.
I love watching Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Thunder play Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs, and not just when OKC wins. The rivalry is real and it’s fun. Watching Luke Kornet walk onto the field as the alien sits down takes the excitement out of the game.
Not that I’m longing for maximum Wemby minutes. OKC won the 28 minutes he played +14 felt just right.
It’s funny how a basic push-off becomes a potential technical foul when the – excuse me – junk of the man you’re guarding comes level with your elbow. This really isn’t anyone’s fault. Wemby brings a very rare and sometimes strange dynamic to the field when guarding players like SGA.
Jaylin Williams has shot poorly from three all season (29.7%) and was just 2-7 from the arc last night. But teams continue to bite hard on his fake pump, leading to some adventures in ponderous, but mostly successful drives from the lovable big. This reverse layup was a big workout.
Dean Oliver just tweeted about teams fired Dylan Harper with great success. So of course he went 2-for-3 against the Thunder.
In pregame comments, Mark Daigneault acknowledged the value of facing a team as formidable as the Spurs. His point was well taken, but what stood out was a particularly humorous portrayal of his overly modest attitude: “If we were lucky enough to qualify for the play-offs…” he began his comments with: These games will be additional valuable “data points.” That’s a big if, Mark. The Thunder could lose 90% of their remaining games and still make the play-in.
One important takeaway: RELAX
OKC was eight games ahead before they played the Spurs for the first time. They just lost three head-to-head games against San Antonio during their most tumultuous stretch of the past two seasons. They are 6.5 games ahead of San Antonio. The Spurs (or anyone else in the West) haven’t really gained any ground on the ~struggling~ champions.
Expectations for OKC are sky high, as they should be. They blew out San Antonio without two starters (Dort and Isaiah Hartenstein). They’ve only played five games all season with both JDub and iHart in the lineup while Williams has been on the mend. Yet they are 34-7 with one of the best defenses of all time.
They defend the title. It’s not easy, and if the thunder doesn’t rain threes, it’s not pretty. But they are the best basketball team and play better than everyone else. Including the Spurs.
