Spurs Sets Conditions Against Thunder on Christmas Day
The San Antonio Spurs demonstrated their supremacy over the Oklahoma City Thunder, the current NBA champion, by defeating them 117-102 in an exciting Christmas encounter. This triumph consolidates the Spurs’ recent dominance over the season’s leading team.
De’Aaron Fox led the Spurs’ offense with 29 points, the most in the game. Victor Wembanyama contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds in just 26 minutes, coming off the bench. Stephon Castle also stood out with 19 units for a Spurs team that controlled the game after an intense start by the home team.
The Thunder, who started the season with an impressive 24-1 record, have hit a snag, losing four of their last six games, three of them against San Antonio. This defeat also marked the end of the Thunder’s 15-game home winning streak, despite 22 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, NBA Most Valuable Player.
The Thunder started strong, making their first seven shots and taking an 18-12 lead. However, the Spurs responded with an 11-0 run, finishing the first quarter with a 41-36 lead. From that moment on, San Antonio maintained control of the scoreboard.
The Spurs’ lead extended to 69-60 at halftime and 95-79 at the end of the third quarter. Oklahoma City tried to react with a 9-2 run at the start of the last quarter, but failed to get close to a solid Spurs on both sides of the court.
With this victory, San Antonio improves its record to 23-7 and remains in second place in the Western Conference, just behind the Thunder (26-5). The Texan team seeks to break a drought that has kept it out of the playoffs since 2019 and without winning a postseason series since 2017.
By Oklahoma City, Isaiah Hartenstein recorded 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Chet Holmgren contributed 10 units and 12 captures in the paint.
