As Chet Holmgren set a screen, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander found himself up against Victor Wembanyama. Going with his usually reliable stepback 3-pointer, his attempt clanked at the front of the rim. The seven-footer contested his jumper just enough to get the miss.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 29 points on 12-of-23 shooting, five assists and four rebounds. He shot 1-of-7 from 3 and went 4-of-4 on free throws.

The Oklahoma City Thunder couldn’t get things going on offense in their 111-109 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2025 NBA Cup semifinals.

Usually the NBA’s most efficient scorer, Gilgeous-Alexander looked more vulnerable in this matchup. Sure, he still had above-average efficiency, but not at the marks that have him in the same conversations as Wilt Chamberlain. The Spurs forced him to settle for several jumpers. And with the right mix of perimeter defenders, they made him earn his buckets.

This is probably the most uncomfortable Gilgeous-Alexander has looked in a while. The superb ball security wasn’t there either, with five turnovers. That’s the other layer of his superpowers that doesn’t get as much shine as his scoring ability. Castle did an excellent job at keeping up with him. San Antonio swarmed him every time he had the ball in his hands.

The NBA’s league leader in clutch buckets was jettisoned into the background. This time, it was Wembanyama’s turn to get the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from both the Las Vegas crowd and the Amazon broadcast. By the end, it felt like a San Antonio home game.

The Thunder needed more out of Gilgeous-Alexander. He usually delivers when needed. But when you combine his off-night with the rest of the roster not really showing up, you get this result. Alas. That’s part of the NBA’s ebbs and flows.

“We can’t be spoiled. We can’t think we’re above anything. Us, along with every team in the league, if you show up on a night and don’t do the necessary thing to win, you probably won’t win,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “No matter how talented or no matter what your record looks like. That was the case for us tonight.”

The Thunder won’t have to wait long to see the Spurs again. They play two more times by the time Christmas rolls around. By then, we should have a clearer picture of whether San Antonio is uniquely equipped to slow down OKC or if this was just a one-game anomaly. Only tasting defeat for a second time this season, Gilgeous-Alexander is excited for the opportunity.

“It is, but personally, I think it’s exciting. It’s easier to learn when you don’t feel the way you want to feel. It stings a little bit more,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We’ll also see these guys a few more times in the next couple games. So it will be a good challenge. Kind of like an automatic test, almost like in school. You fail the test, you get to retest a couple days later. That’s what it will probably feel like.”