With the final result unofficially decided, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s last shot attempt hit the front of the rim. After Stephon Castle was wiped out with a screen, a pull-up 3-pointer failed to go in despite being a quality look. That was a pretty poetic way to end a forgettable Christmas Day debut for the reigning MVP.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 22 points on 7-of-19 shooting, six rebounds and four assists. He shot 1-of-6 from 3 and went 7-of-8 on free throws. He also had a steal.

The Oklahoma City Thunder officially have a San Antonio Spurs problem after a 117-102 loss. They’ve lost to that squad three consecutive times in two weeks.

For really the first time, the Spurs slowed down Gilgeous-Alexander’s unreal superb scoring production. Usually automatic in the mid-range, San Antonio crashed down several defenders at him as soon as he pulled up. Same with his outside jumper.

As Victor Wembanyama roamed the paint like an ‘Attack on Titan’ character, Gilgeous-Alexander hesitated to get to the rim. It’s one thing when it’s just him; it’s another when the Spurs are also loaded with perimeter defenders that can keep up with his footwork. At that point, that’s too many problems to solve.

The Thunder have relied on the same formula in their NBA dominance over the last two seasons — Gilgeous-Alexander constantly puts up an efficient 30-plus points while the rest of the roster shuts down the opponent on the other end. When both of those variables are off, like they were here, then this is the result.

“We have to get better as a group. You don’t lose to a team three times in a row in a short span without them being better than you. We have to get better. We have to look in the mirror,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That’s everybody from top to bottom if we want to reach our ultimate goal.”

For the first time in this era, the Thunder lost three in a row against the same opponent. Sometimes you see them lost to the same team twice, but never three times. Especially in this short timespan. What has Gilgeous-Alexander seen from the Spurs, who’ve surprised everybody in the NBA with their arrival?

“They’re just a good basketball team. They know how to play. They have talent. They play the right way. They play together. When you mix those things together for any basketball team, you win games,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Whether you make or miss shots, you win games. Obviously, tonight, they shot the ball well. But they’ve beaten us three times in a row, so you can’t just use that as an excuse.”

It’s a disturbing trend to see the Thunder handily lose to the Spurs three straight times in two weeks. That’s about as close to a playoff series you’ll get before the real thing. But it’s important to take a breath and look at the calendar. What happens in December rarely matters in April and May. That said, the reigning NBA champion needs to hit the drawing board and figure out how to best this San Antonio squad.

“It’s easy to learn through the lessons. You feel it right away. You hate the feeling. It’s motivating. I expect this team to get better,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We should be a way better team by the end of the season than we are today and that’s our goal.”