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OKC Thunder's six-game winning streak ends with loss to Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
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- OKC Thunder's six-game winning streak ends with loss to Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama can't help it. Their worlds collide daily, and their names quite possibly might be searched together as often as they are separately. On the few occasions the NBA schedule actually sees their paths cross, it's mayhem.
Despite their teams being worlds apart in contention. Despite Wembanyama proving to be in a tier of talent beyond his fellow rookie, a blinding star in a league of extraterrestrials. In their short shared history, their meetings have held little purpose beyond their pairing.
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Then the Thunder's 132-118 loss in San Antonio on Thursday night played out differently than their previous regular-season matchups.
If Holmgren (23 points, seven boards, five assists) had gotten the better of Wembanyama through three quarters, the 7-foot-4 Frenchman used one final stand to decide he'd seen enough.
After a constant tug-of-war between San Antonio 's relatively remarkable shotmaking and Oklahoma City 's flatlining effort, the Thunder stared down the barrel of a loss to the West's last-place team.
In each of the two previous meetings, OKC had already been coasting by the fourth quarter. Necks had already been stepped on, doors closed, nights all but over. OKC spent Thursday leaving enough of a crevice for Wembanyama to extend his bony limbs through.
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Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates a 3-point shot in the second half against the Thunder on Thursday night at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
He only needed one minute to violently spread his wings.
With the Thunder trailing by three with under four minutes to play, the Spurs rookie stared down a blitz, wrapping it around his defenders for a Tre Jones 3. All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander then opted to get downhill, where Wembanyama met him at the rim before scratching his back with the board. Then the rookie center came down to drill a 28-foot 3-pointer.
One possession became three, and one sequence became one giant leap for mankind.
Wembanyama finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks.
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His next 3-pointer just over a minute later was cushion. The block that followed, which snuffed out Holmgren's promising-turned-overshadowed night, was overkill.
When SportsCenter replays during the wee hours of the night, the clip will take half-asleep viewers to commercial. With the pair on an island with just under two minutes to go, Wembanyama measured his entire frame to clap and cradle Holmgren's desperate step-back jumper, a stuff forceful enough that Holmgren lost his balance and ended up seated.
It all felt written on Thursday. The timeliness, the marksmanship. The Spurs, which entered the game as the league's worst 3-point shooting team, connected on 19 of their 39 3-pointers.
That called for efficiency in every quarter — San Antonio shot 5 for 10 from deep in each of the final three periods, shooting 4 for 9 in the first 12 minutes. It might've looked different, but it never changed.
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From empty-side shots, to looking off closeouts, to simply hitting gutsy shots like Wembanyama did down the stretch. Even when OKC tried to change course, it couldn't stop the Spurs' already hot hand, instead meeting it with questionable late-game decision making and a lack of shotmaking. Wembanyama showed gratitude by putting a bow on the win.
Thursday was the Spurs' 12th win of the season. It wouldn't be difficult to imagine it being the one Wembanyama savors most.
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Oklahoma City Thunder's Chet Holmgren (7) tangles with San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
A defensive showing worth forgetting for OKC
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault likely did most of his talking at halftime. Even then, he wasn't going to steer his ship into a complete 180.
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Through a half, he understandably allowed the league's worst outside-shooting team some fairly open looks to prioritize attention elsewhere. Jones, a 30.9% shooter from deep, drilled 2 of 3. Zach Collins , an even less efficient shooter, drilled one. What started as blatant help to load up the paint (more specifically adding defenders to the Wembanyama detail) became a shooting game.
At a certain point, even after OKC directed more attention toward San Antonio's 3s, it just had to tip its cap. Virtually every necessary shot began to fall. Nights like those happen — though perhaps not as drastic as the Spurs drilling 19 3s.
It'll wish for a closeout or two back. Perhaps a couple missed rotations. But what'll likely prove most disappointing on that end was its general lack of resistance.
The Spurs dropped 69 points in the first half, finishing the night shooting 61% on 41 paint attempts. Wembanyama was overwhelming. Jeremy Sochan flashed into the paint for necessary buckets. Scorers like Devin Vassell , who added 28 points, freely trotted to the elbows.
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San Antonio saved its best charm for OKC. Once it was unleashed, there was nothing the Thunder could do.
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Decisions, decisions
Despite everything, the Thunder had chances to win on Thursday.
Even after SGA's rigid first quarter (the prophecy saw him reach 31 points once more). Even after a less-than-productive lineup that featured Josh Giddey as its lone initiator alongside Gordon Hayward and Co. Even after failing to capitalize on the non-Wembanyama minutes.
Just before Wembanyama's emphatic sequence, OKC's best chance was in Lu Dort 's hands.
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Gilgeous-Alexander disrupted an entry pass to the Spurs rookie, and Thunder sophomore Jalen Williams led a 3-on-2 break with a full head of steam. Few players operate as easily in the open floor as Williams. Yet, with OKC trailing by three, the possession ended in a Dort 3-point attempt.
Dort finished the quarter 0 for 3 from deep. He finished the game just 1 for 6 from out there. The Thunder never got that close again.
It wasn't the possession or decision that lost OKC the game. But it was exemplary of the way things had unfolded for the team, and probably a possession it wished it could get back to offset Wembanyama's momentous run.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder winning streak ends with loss to Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
