Spurs hand Thunder third loss in two weeks with 117-102 Christmas victory
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OKLAHOMA CITY — De’Aaron Fox poured in 29 points on Thursday, guiding the San Antonio Spurs to a 117-102 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder and securing their third victory over the defending NBA champions in a span of 12 days.
The Spurs had already beaten Oklahoma City in an NBA Cup semifinal on Dec. 13 and again in San Antonio on Tuesday. The teams will square off twice more this season, on Jan. 13 in Oklahoma City and Feb. 4 in San Antonio.
Victor Wembanyama contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds, while rookie guard Stephon Castle chipped in 19 points and seven assists. San Antonio (23-7) shot 53.6% from the field and limited Oklahoma City (26-5) to 38.9%.
Thursday’s result extended the Spurs’ winning streak to eight games and marked just the second home loss of the season for the Thunder, who remain atop the Western Conference standings. Oklahoma City is 0-3 against San Antonio and 26-2 against the rest of the league; according to ESPN Research, no team had suffered three of its first five losses to the same opponent since the 1966-67 season.
“This is like a playoff series,” Wembanyama said of facing the Thunder so often in such a short window. “We learned a lot on the tactical side, but I don’t want to say too much about it. Keep something for us.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 22 points but went 7-for-19 from the floor. The reigning MVP has scored at least 20 points in 102 consecutive games. Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Chet Holmgren added 10 points and 12 boards.
The Thunder, who opened the season 24-1, are 2-4 since, with all three losses to San Antonio included. It is the first time they have dropped back-to-back games by at least 15 points since the 2021-22 campaign, when they won 24 games.
Despite a blistering 7-for-7 start from the field that produced an 18-12 lead, Oklahoma City trailed 69-60 at halftime after Fox scored 21 first-half points. San Antonio’s cushion grew to 85-68 midway through the third quarter, and a Dylan Harper dunk pushed the margin to 91-74 late in the period. The Spurs entered the fourth up 95-79 and never allowed the Thunder closer than 13 points the rest of the way.
“We have to get better as a group,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “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 if we want to reach our ultimate goal.”
Source: ESPN
