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Spurs bracing for big ‘test’ in next battle with Thunder
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- Spurs bracing for big ‘test’ in next battle with Thunder
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Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs attempt to do the unthinkable when they meet the Oklahoma City Thunder for the fourth time this season.
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A Silver and Black victory vs. the defending champs would mean a fourth victory against a team that enters the game with just seven losses.
"If we don't pass the test, then that's going to be the result," veteran forward Harrison Barnes said of the lessons his young squad is learning throughout a breakout year.
When it comes to matching up with the absolute best, each win vs. OKC has been more impressive than the previous .
Spurs look to conquer another Thunder test
When the two teams met on December 13, it represented one of the NBA Cup Semifinals in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Thunder went in having matched the best 25-game start in league history at 24-1. Though Wemby didn't start in his first game in a month because of a calf strain and though San Antonio started slowly, they beat the unbeatable . A 111-109 outcome raised eye brows all around the basketball world.
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They met ten days later in San Antonio . In what was supposed to be the defending champions response to an upstart who'd knocked them off by a basket, the Spurs pulled away for a 20-point win vs. an Oklahoma City team that had lost their previous three games by a combined nine points.
Two days later, they got together again on Christmas Day. This time in Oklahoma. Surely, the team with the best record in the league would hold serve. Instead, the Spurs handed the Thunder their first loss at home .
"I think it's a new ballgame," Barnes said of the looming round four.
San Antonio heads into the contest off a defeat and a stretch in which they've dropped five of their last nine games .
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"I think you only have to look at these last two games to realize where we're at in the season," Barnes added in alluding to a victory vs. the Boston Celtics followed by a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves .
"Playing two good teams, it comes down to the wire, both games, extremely physical," the North Carolina alum continued. "That's the stretch that we're in right now. Is this same lesson going to keep showing up for us?"
Adding to the Spurs/Thunder dynamic is their similar make-up. Both are young and have largely been built through the draft. Add Chet Holmgren and both have 7-foot stars that represent the modern big men.
"I think these games, they show you how good your focus is. When we talk about execution down the stretch and we talk about can we get to our spots and we talk about getting two stops in a row, these are the games, these are the examples, these are the reps that matter," Barnes revealed.
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"I think that having these in successive back-to-back nights, next thing coming up with OKC, kind of where we're at, it's a good test for us," the 33-year-old forward declared.
"So, we either show up to pass the test or we'll be in the same boat next game."
It's a test the Spurs have aced three times already.
Related: The Thunder look to avoid season sweep vs. its biggest threat in Spurs
Related: Harrison Barnes details 'habits' Spurs need to master to make playoff run
