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Spurs beat Thunder for second time in 11 days, storming to 130-110 victory behind Johnson, Castle

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Keldon Johnson had 25 points, Stephon Castle added 24 and the San Antonio Spurs stormed past Oklahoma City 130-110 on Tuesday night, winning their seventh straight game and beating the Thunder for the second time in 11 days.

Victor Wembanyama’s streak of consecutive games with at least one block ended at 101, but the Spurs were just happy to have him on the court after he was downgraded to questionable on Monday. Wembanyama finished with 12 points.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 33 points for Oklahoma City. Jalen Williams added 17.

San Antonio has won 14 of 17 to move into second place in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City has lost three of five games since opening the season 24-1. The defending champions’ fourth loss this season was by far their worst, with the previous three coming by two, two and five points.

The Thunder’s second loss of the season was 111-109 against the Spurs in the NBA Cup semifinal on Dec. 13 in Las Vegas.

The rematch was another tense battle between the top two seeds in the West.

There were 15 lead changes and 13 ties before San Antonio pulled away late in the third quarter.

Wembanyama and Spurs rookie Dylan Harper led the second-half surge.

Harper was limited to four points but had season highs with five steals and 10 assists.

Wembanyama came off the bench for the sixth straight game after missing 12 straight with a strained left calf.

He drained a 26-foot 3-pointer over Alex Caruso three minutes into the final quarter to give the Spurs a 98-86 lead. San Antonio extended the lead to 101-88 two minutes later when Wembanyama assisted on Castle’s 3-pointer.

Up next

Spurs at Thunder on Thursday. Oklahoma City is 6-14 on Christmas Day and San Antonio is 5-7.

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This story has been corrected to show that the Spurs beat the Thunder for the second time in 11, not 10, days.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

NYPD says dozens rescued from human trafficking during World Cup

▶ Watch Video: Inside look at security preparations for World Cup Forty-three people, including seven minors, were rescued from human traffickers during the World Cup matches in the New York City area, according to the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit.The rescue operations were carried out between June 11 and July 19 by specialized NYPD detectives who arrested 89 individuals."The surprise was really the outpouring of support behind the mission and the collaboration with all our partners," said Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit.Those rescued, largely the victims of sex trafficking, are now being supported with an array of social services for the victims, including food, housing and counseling.The 87 operations carried out during the World Cup have generated new leads, officials said, and law enforcement agencies are building more cases based on the investigations already underway."We have ongoing investigations now as a result of these operations," an NYPD official told CBS News.Major sporting events are known to law enforcement as hotbeds of human trafficking.Years in advance, the NYPD devoted significant resources to preparing for the World Cup. Eight matches were played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, including the final on Sunday."When we talk about the outreach and the prep we do, a large part of that involved visiting the known sex offenders, particularly the known human traffickers, in our registry," Marcus said. "Whether they're on parole or probation for human trafficking, we visited them to make sure they're compliant with the terms of their release, and secondly, to let them know that the NYPD is watching."The matches were held in multiple cities around the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Preparations to secure those games and prepare for crimes like human trafficking were coordinated between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.Police departments in many locations that hosted World Cup matches have made arrests and rescues connected to human trafficking, including in Georgia, New England and Missouri. Nationally, there were more than 673 arrests on human-trafficking charges made during the World Cup, and 61 adults and 13 minors rescued, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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