There are nights within the NBA when the rating tells the reality lengthy earlier than the ultimate buzzer. Tuesday evening in Oklahoma Metropolis was one among them.
The San Antonio Spurs’ 119–98 loss to the Thunder was much less about one dangerous stretch and extra a couple of acquainted actuality: a younger staff nonetheless studying how unforgiving elite competitors will be. For a half, the Spurs hung round. After that, they had been reminded how rapidly issues unravel when execution slips.
“We weren’t sharp tonight,” Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson stated after the sport. The third quarter is what received away from us, however even within the first half, it felt like there was a number of uncharacteristic lack of recreation play and execution. I don’t assume we had been very sharp from the start.”
San Antonio confirmed early indicators of struggle. Victor Wembanyama was lively across the rim, Stephon Fortress attacked with confidence, and the Spurs regarded able to buying and selling punches. Fortress, particularly, performed with poise past his years, ending with 20 factors, eight assists and 7 rebounds — the form of stat line that hints at what the longer term may maintain.
However promise solely will get you up to now.
As soon as Oklahoma Metropolis turned up the strain, the cracks widened. The Spurs’ offense stalled into rushed threes and compelled passes, a recipe that produced misses and fueled the Thunder’s transition recreation. San Antonio shot simply 13-of-37 from past the arc, and lots of of these makes an attempt got here with a hand within the shooter’s face.
The sport tilted within the Thunder’s favor decisively within the third quarter. Two separate runs (11-1 and 12-0) blew the doorways open, and the Spurs by no means discovered a option to reply other than a 14-2 run within the fourth quarter. Wembanyama completed with 17 factors and 7 rebounds; his temporary exit after a collision didn’t assist, however the greater challenge was what has plagued San Antonio all season: Poor capturing and inconistent play when issues go sideways.
Working example: De’Aaron Fox and Harrison Barnes mixed for 15 factors on 6-16 capturing from the ground. With San Antonio lacking Devin Vassell to a groin pressure, the Spurs wanted all the assistance they may get. Fortress could have had a good evening offensively, however he struggled to manage the basketball. San Antonio dedicated 11 turnovers, and Fortress had 5 of them on his personal.
Oklahoma Metropolis’s protection made certain of that. The Thunder crowded the paint, challenged every part on the rim, and made up for their very own errors with blocked pictures and getting their palms into the passing lanes. San Antonio’s bench provided flashes — Dylan Harper’s 12 factors and Luke Kornet’s work on the glass stood out — however there was no sustained push to alter the evening’s course.
This wasn’t a loss that calls for panic, but it surely does demand perspective. The Spurs are constructing one thing, and nights like this are a part of the tutoring. In opposition to a Thunder staff constructed to contend now, San Antonio regarded like what it’s — a bunch nonetheless studying how you can win constantly on this league.
“It’s January within the NBA, and it’s robust,” Johnson stated. You look across the league, and it is a month that exams you mentally, bodily, and emotionally. These video games will assist us. These video games shall be studying experiences that we have to undergo, and they’re going to serve us effectively. It’s our job to verify we maximize the training moments from these video games.”
The scoreboard was harsh, however the lesson was clear. Development isn’t linear, and progress typically comes wrapped in a 21-point loss.
