OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Just a few weeks ago, the defending champion Thunder were making it appear that the rest of the NBA would be playing for second place.
Oklahoma City won 24 of its first 25 games, with the Thunder often blowing out opponents and resting starters in the fourth quarter.
Three losses to the San Antonio Spurs later, a legitimate threat to Oklahoma City’s crown has emerged. San Antonio defeated the Thunder 117-102 on Thursday, handing Oklahoma City its first home loss of the season.
San Antonio’s first win, a close call in an NBA Cup semifinal, would have been easy to write off. But the past two victories over the Thunder –- by 20 in San Antonio on Tuesday and by 15 on Thursday – have been decisive. Still, Spurs center Victor Wembanyama was reserved when asked if San Antonio’s success against Oklahoma City has sent a message to the league.
“Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t,” he said. “But we’re focused on the rest of the season. It’s very long. We’re not even halfway through, so I’m not really sure it’s, I don’t know the word — I’m not really sure it’s smart to think so far into the future.”
Both sides said the number of games in a short span — three in fewer than two weeks — resembled a playoff series. The results showed the Thunder they’ve got work ahead.
“We have to get better as a group,” Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning league MVP, said. “You don’t lose to a team three times in a row in a short span without them being better than you. So we have to be better. You have to look in the mirror. And that’s everybody from top to bottom if we want to reach our ultimate goal.”
The Thunder have had no answers for Wembanyama. The young 7-foot-3 Frenchman has averaged 17.7 points and 8.3 rebounds in just over 23 minutes per game against the Thunder. He’s been a reserve in all three matchups because he’s working his way back from a calf injury that cost him 12 games.
He has given the Thunder fits defensively with his height, reach and ability to rotate quickly. Thunder guard Jalen Williams said Wembanyama had the Thunder — typically an extremely disciplined team — out of sorts.
“Just having Victor out there just defensively covers up for a lot of their mistakes, which is why our offensive progression is much more important because it can really affect a game if you kind of let them do what they scheme to do,” Williams said.
It’s been quite a jump for Spurs coach Mitch Johnson. The 39-year-old is in his first full season in place of Gregg Popovich, who stepped down to take the role of team president.
The Thunder have seen this before — a young team with a young coach maturing rapidly with the right approach. Williams said the Spurs remind him of the Thunder team from two years ago that earned the No. 1 seed in the West and reached the conference semifinals after having a losing record the previous year.
Williams said the Spurs have the hunger the 2023-24 Thunder had, and they already have learned how to channel it.
“They want the games just as bad as we do,” he said. “It’s just about who can nurture that into something progressive. And we just didn’t do a good job of it, and they did.”
Another aspect of the Spurs that mirrors that Thunder team from two years ago is the focus on team ball. De’Aaron Fox is averaging 21.9 points and 6.3 assists. Stephon Castle, last year’s Rookie of the Year, is averaging 18.6 points and 7.0 assists on 51.5% shooting. They are among eight Spurs players averaging double figures.
“Winning is also a symptom of everything that happens behind closed doors,” Wembanyama said. “And all of us are happy to come into work. We know we’re going to have fun. We know that we’re going to go out there and produce competitive basketball.”
For all the hype, Oklahoma City’s main purpose is intact. The Thunder hope they can apply what they have learned when they play the Spurs on January 13 in Oklahoma City and perhaps again down the road.
“It’s easy to learn through the losses,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “You feel it right away. You hate the feeling. It’s motivating. It’s easy. I expect this team to get better. We should be a way better team come the end of the season than we are today. That’s our goal.”
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