SAN ANTONIO — Victor Wembanyama clutched a drum mallet that was big enough to match his oversized hands.
He then pounded a massive drum placed at halfcourt in front of a packed Frost Bank Center crowd, which mimicked his rhythm by clapping.
It’s the San Antonio Spurs’ new tradition for celebrating wins. And it was only right to break it in after earning a statement victory over the reigning champion OKC Thunder, which received a rare thumping.
OKC (26-4) entered Tuesday with three losses all season by a combined nine points, but it suffered a 130-110 loss to San Antonio (22-7), which used a 43-point fourth quarter to pull away.
“Especially in the second half, they really played the game on their terms on both ends of the floor,” Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They got whatever they wanted offensively, and then defensively they had us stagnant. … When you play against a good team, you can’t play like that for long periods of time because it’ll chip away at itself. Next thing you know, you look up and there’s a big lead.
“You’ve got to be more of an enforcer on at least one end of the floor. We weren’t on either end of the floor, and that’s why the game got ugly.”
OKC has now lost both of its games against San Antonio this season, with the first one coming in the NBA Cup semifinals. But the Thunder will receive the perfect gift for the holidays: Another shot at redemption.
OKC will host San Antonio at 1:30 p.m. CST Thursday in marks the franchise’s first Christmas Day game since 2018. And it’ll look to pound its chest with a bounce-back win against an emerging contender.
“It’ll be fun,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Playing on Christmas Day in itself is a dream come true. I watched the NBA games growing up every single Christmas, so that’ll be super fun. I can’t wait to experience that. And then it’s against a really good basketball team that just beat the s— out of us. So yeah, it’ll be fun.”
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
Order new book on Thunder’s run to NBA title
San Antonio put on a close-range clinic
Some of San Antonio’s bench players sat down. Some of them stood on their feet. But they all had their eyes glued to Harrison Barnes.
The 15-year pro was holding a lecture in finishing for his young teammates, as he fearlessly backed down 7-foot-1 big man Chet Holmgren early in the first quarter.
Barnes put an elbow into Holmgren’s chest, pivoted and used a pump fake to throw off the timing of the skilled shot blocker. He then used an up-and-under move to sink a contested layup.
That close-range clinic proved to be effective, as Barnes’ teammates followed suit. San Antonio racked up 60 points in the paint, and it shot 66.7% from inside the arc.
OKC is often the team that teaches lessons around the rim. It entered Tuesday averaging just 38.3 opponent points in the paint per game, which is the lowest average in the NBA. It also ranked first in opponent 2-point field goal percentage (47.4%).
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had the upper hand despite a finger injury
Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t give out any high-fives to his teammates after sinking an and-one bucket early in the first quarter.
He was too busy holding the index finger of his right shooting hand while he winced in pain. And he literally tried to shake the injury off, as he aggressively shook his hand before slowly walking to the free-throw line.
Gilgeous-Alexander looked noticeably uncomfortable throughout the next three minutes of game time, repeatedly grabbing his finger until he was subbed out. But when he returned to start the second quarter, he continued to have the upper hand.
The reigning MVP knifed his way through the Spurs’ dense defense, draining mid-range jumpers and sinking acrobatic layups. And he did so efficiently.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 33 points and eight assists in 36 minutes. He shot 14 for 22 from the field (63.6%).
Nothing has been able to hold Gilgeous-Alexander back from getting buckets. He has now scored at least 20 points in 101 consecutive games. That ranks second all-time, only trailing Wilt Chamberlain (126 games).
Gilgeous-Alexander has also recorded 188 games of at least 30 points since the start of the 2021-22 season. That ranks first in the NBA.
“It’s remarkable,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said of Gilgeous-Alexander’s consistency. “You just kind of are lost in the next challenge, the next day and the next competition (during the season). We stay very present, so there’s not a lot of reflection. I don’t think there’s a lot for him. At least, that’s the sense I get from watching him. But some day when you sit down and you write everything the guy is doing, it’s going to be very clear that he’s an all-time player.”
San Antonio won in a way that’s familiar to OKC
San Antonio made winning plays and was rewarded with a statement victory.
The Spurs leaned on their lockdown defense, holding the Thunder to its fifth-lowest point total of the season. They attacked the rim on offense, recording 60 points in the paint.
They also swung the ball around unselfishly, assisting on 34 of their 48 made shots. And they fed off of each others’ energy down the stretch, outscoring the Thunder 43-28 during the fourth quarter.
Those are all typical characteristics of an OKC win. But the Thunder instead found itself on the other side Tuesday, falling to the Spurs for the second time in as many meetings this season.
“Credit them,” Daigneault said of the Spurs. “They played great on both ends of the floor from an energy standpoint and execution standpoint. They deserve to win the game through and through. Obviously, that was a statement with the way they played.”
Tip-insOKC was without Ousmane Dieng (right calf strain), Ajay Mitchell (concussion protocol), Thomas Sorber (right ACL surgery recovery), Nikola Topić (surgery recovery) and Jaylin Williams (right heel bursitis).San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama came off the bench for the sixth straight game as he continues to recover from a left calf strain. He finished with 12 points and five rebounds in 23 minutes.Thunder forward Jalen Williams on three of OKC’s losses coming during the second night of a back-to-back: “Everybody in the league has to play back-to-backs, so for me to sit up here and complain about travel or something is ridiculous. I think for us it’s just going to be about getting the guys they’ve been out at inconsistent times just to gel more. … We’re not a team that’s built on excuses.”
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
Thunder vs. Spurs
TIPOFF: 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City (ABC and ESPN)