A stepback jumper by reigning Rookie of the 12 months Stephon Fort over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – paying homage to ones that the Thunder guard has hit over so many others – ended any comeback hopes for the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, and the San Antonio Spurs handed the champs their third lack of the younger season on Christmas Day. San Antonio weathered a white-hot begin from Oklahoma Metropolis, and behind a 13-point (3-for-3 from three) first quarter triples from De’Aaron Fox, adopted by a dominant and strangling two-way effort from the cohesive and charged squad, showcased the victorious Spurs to a nationwide viewers within the 117-102 highway win. San Antonio shot 54% (38% from three) and emphatically answered each Thunder run.
De’Aaron Fox (29 factors) paced a handful of Spurs gamers in double-digits, whereas Stephon Fort (19 factors and seven assists), Victor Wembanyama (19 factors and 11 reboundes), and Harrison Barnes (15 factors and 6 rebounds) provided supporting firepower. Rookie Dylan Harper (12 factors) continued to dazzle, as he and his backcourt counterparts minimized turnovers.
Gilgeous-Alexander (22 factors, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists) had some spectacular moments on the finish of every half for Oklahome Metropolis, however didn’t get sufficient from his teammates – Chet Holmgren (10 factors and 12 rebounds) and Jalen Williams (12 factors and 6 assists). Isaiah Hartenstein (13 factors and 12 rebounds) put up a double-double and Alex Caruso (12 factors) competed admirably.
The groups traded thunderous blows over the primary half of the opening stanza – placing up 45 factors in a six minute span. Oklahoma Metropolis unfold out its firepower via its vaunted beginning lineup, whereas Fox and Fort put up 4 buckets apiece in response. Regardless of the Thunder beginning 9-for-10, a procession of Harper, Wembanyama, and Fox scores allowed San Antonio to finish the primary up 41-36.
San Antonio continued so as to add to its lead throughout a contentious second interval. Each time it appeared like Oklahoma Metropolis would mount a critical risk, the Spurs responded with a runs of their very own. Fort and Fox once more supplied these solutions as Gilgeous-Alexander prevented a San Antonio runaway by his sheer foul-drawing will. After weathering the Thunder’s first actual push, the Spurs went to the break up 69-60.
The offensive execution that characterised the primary half died out rapidly within the third quarter, and but San Antonio was in a position so as to add to its hard-earned benefit with higher defending, hustle, and a few nasty within the fraught last a part of the quarter. Harper and Johnson’s successive dunks made it 95-79 after three.
The primary seven Thunder photographs went down, and that sums up the primary handful of moments – with OKC’s major three contributing the vast majority of them. After they did miss their first shot, the carom discovered its strategy to Lu Dort – who hit a 3. Dort’s second three in a row put them up seven, whereas Fort matched with two makes of his personal. Fox’s second three introduced San Antonio inside 4. Keldon Johnson’s first shot bounced a handful of occasions on the rim earlier than gently falling in. Whereas OKC continued to search out success on one finish, a catch-and-shoot and-1 by Wembanyama rendered it a one-possession sport. Harper and Fox’s world-class bucket-getting in direction of the tip of the body put the Spurs again forward by 5.
Firstly of the second interval, OKC ran the identical play that netted the Kornet lob dunk over Holmgren from Tuesday evening however Isaiah Hartenstein couldn’t full the deal. After an Aaron Wiggins three, Wembanyama threw down a monstrous two-handed slam over Harteinstein. The referees allowed sufficient bodily contact throughout a sequence of sequences to qualify this for a university soccer sport earlier than “mercifully” calling one on a Jalen Williams’ try. Fort’s free throws gave the Spurs their greatest result in that time at 9. After the Spur lead went as much as 14, Gilgeous-Alexander transformed an and-1 in transition and hit a stepback baseline shot to convey it again to single-digits, and the groups went to the half separated by 9.
The third quarter began starkly totally different than the 2 earlier than it, with the bigs netting three of the primary 4 baskets collectively and the groups placing up a paltry 16 factors within the first 5 minutes. After Fort transformed a degree-of-difficulty shot over Holmgren, Jay Bilas quipped that this was the ’the emergence of an incredible participant.” A Fort-to-Kornet lob put San Antonio again up 11. Fort strung out two OKC defenders and spoonfed Harrison Barnes for an open wing three, and Barnes’ stepthrough lay-up pushed the lead briefly again out to 17 – regardless of the Spurs wingmen lacking greater than a handful of open alternatives. Wembanyama altered a shot try in mid-air to discover a chopping Harper baseline for an influence slam. Caruso’s three introduced OKC inside a dozen. and like he has carried out so many occasions this season, Fox answered on the different finish with a jumper. Whereas Fox missed the subsequent try, Johnson violently slammed residence the errant shot and San Antonio went to the fourth up 16.
San Antonio hosts Lauri Markkanen and the Utah Jazz Saturday evening at 7:00 PM CDT.
