The Spurs Ruin Christmas: The Day After Report
The Spurs are embarrassing the world champion Thunder this season. On Christmas Day in Oklahoma City, the Spurs beat the Thunder for the their third straight time. San Antonio made a statement with efficient shooting and balanced scoring, while Oklahoma City struggled to find consistent offense beyond Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. OKC cannot execute its bread and butter against San Antonio: they can't force turnovers, they can't wall off the paint, and they can't keep shooters contained. The Spurs, on the other hand, have slowed down OKC and won on their terms: just four of the 19 three-point attempts given to Lu Dort and Alex Caruso made it through the net, while Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, and the rest of the Thunder were all held to 13 or fewer points.
Final: Spurs (23-7) def. Thunder (26-5), 117-102
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC with 22 points on 7/19 shooting, his least efficient outing versus San Antonio this season.
- OKC was stifled on offense. 38.9% shooting and 11-44 from distance.
- Meanwhile, San Antonio shot 53.6% from the field and 37.9% from distance.
- De’Aaron Fox was dominant for the Spurs with 29 points on 12/19 shooting. As was Victor Wembanyama, who provided 19 points and 11 rebounds in under 26 minutes. And the rest of San Antonio's full 9-man rotation made solid contributions throughout the game.
- San Antonio is now just 2.5 games behind Oklahoma City in the Western Conference standings.
- Caruso implied that effort and discipline are underlying issues for OKC despite its 26-5 record. Psychotic competition is Caruso's strength and part of the Thunder's DNA for sure, but there is more to fix on the court than hustle (see: Caruso's shooting line above).
- The Spurs are the most bizarre underdog/Cinderella story in sports I have ever witnessed. They have by far the most hyped core of prospects ever assembled – four top-10 picks in four straight drafts, including the best prospect ever. Three straight top-4 picks, including the best prospect ever. And yet, they are seen as an "ethical" counter to the Thunder who built a supposedly unfair roster... with much worse picks and less dramatic tanking. The internet turns on everyone, and they will turn severely against San Antonio once they finally realize they look a lot more like Goliath than David.
One Key Takeaway: The rivalry is here
OKC has won a title and San Antonio hasn't wont its first playoff series. But this is not just any upstart team annoying a juggernaut thanks to some matchup advantages and schedule luck. The Thunder have won their non-Spurs games by an average point differential of +14.1 this season. They have lost to the Spurs by an average of 12.3 points per game. On a neutral court, on the road, and at home. It's not a fluke. The Thunder will have to figure out the Spurs sooner than later.