The Oklahoma City Thunder have now lost three straight games to the San Antonio Spurs after falling 117-102 at home on Christmas Day.
The defending champions have also lost four of six games overall (0-3 vs. San Antonio) following a 24-1 start, and reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t mince words after another tough performance against San Antonio, saying the team collectively needs to “look in the mirror.”
Gilgeous-Alexander also made sure to compliment the 23-8 Spurs, whose eight-game win streak has catapulted the team to second in the Western Conference, two-and-a-half games behind OKC.
The Spurs scored 69 first-half points en route to their third win over OKC. De’Aaron Fox’s 29 points led the team.
Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama both scored 19 points, with the latter player getting that done off the bench in 26 minutes as he works his way back to full strength from a calf strain.
The difference in the Christmas Day game was an easy one to spot. The Spurs shot 54 percent from the field, while OKC was cold (39 percent) and especially from three (25 percent).
OKC’s normally excellent defense (No. 1 in defensive rating) didn’t fare well, which was the case on Tuesday when the Spurs beat the Thunder 130-110 in San Antonio.
The Spurs shot 57 percent from the field, while OKC made 54 percent of its field goals. San Antonio’s offense was poetry in motion that day with 34 assists to just nine turnovers.
Their first game against each other this year was earlier in December in Las Vegas for the NBA Cup semifinals. The Spurs won 111-109 behind four players scoring either 22 or 23 points. OKC shot 24 percent from three that evening.
OKC is an exceptional team and the defending NBA champion for a reason, but the Thunder can’t figure out the Spurs whatsoever. That could be a big problem if the two face off in the playoffs, which is a distinct possibility.
In the meantime, OKC and San Antonio face each other twice more this regular season. The Spurs will visit the Thunder on Jan. 13 before hosting OKC on Feb. 4.