Spurs Strike on Christmas: They Beat the Thunder
San Antonio, in a display of might, surpassed the Oklahoma City Thunder with a score of 117-102 in the exciting Christmas Day NBA matchup. This result solidifies the Spurs’ recent dominance over the team leading the overall standings for the season.
De’Aaron Fox led the Spurs’ offense with 29 points, the most in the game. Victor Wembanyama, coming off the bench, contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds in just 26 minutes of play. Stephon Castle also stood out with 19 points, in a game where the Spurs controlled the pace after a promising start by the Thunder.
The Thunder, after an impressive start to the season with a 24-1 record, have experienced a slump, losing four of their last six games, including three against San Antonio. This defeat also marks the end of their undefeated home streak, which extended to 15 games, despite the 22 points scored by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA’s 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, closing 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. Although Oklahoma City tried to react with a 9-2 run at the beginning of the last quarter, the Spurs remained firm 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.
On the Thunder’s side, Isaiah Hartenstein recorded 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Chet Holmgren contributed 10 units and 12 captures.
