Muscling his way through Chet Holmgren, Victor Wembanyama jammed it in and felt himself afterward with a staredown. On the ensuing possession, Holmgren was called for a foul after shoving Wembanyama to set a screen.
There were moments of excitement between the two seven-foot rookies that seldom showed in their last matchup. But in terms of the actual score, it was fitting the drama between the two only surfaced in garbage time.
The Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the lowly San Antonio Spurs in a 140-114 win. The outcome of this one was never really in question. It capped off a sweep of a home-and-road back-to-back for OKC.
“I thought it was a really good offensive night for us,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the win. “We obviously shot the ball very well from three, which always makes it look a little better but the attacks were pretty sound… Found the best shot on a lot of possessions. I just thought we stayed in a very team rhythm tonight, which is great.”
The Thunder built a 35-28 lead following the first quarter. OKC added to its lead in the second frame and entered halftime with a 63-52 advantage.
A 37-point third quarter put this game to bed as the Thunder entered the final frame with a 100-76 lead. With the game essentially decided, Wembanyama and Holmgren exchanged jabs at each other before they were eventually pulled out of the lopsided contest.
“All credit to Vic,” Holmgren said. “Obviously, a great player, very, very talented — even at an early stage in his career. But I can’t let that matchup take away from what the job was tonight and that was trying to win a basketball game. Thunder vs. Spurs.”
The Thunder had arguably their best offensive outing yet. OKC scored a season-high 140 points, shot 56% from the field and 18-of-40 (45%) from 3. OKC dished out 36 assists on 54 baskets.
It was a productive night for OKC’s trio — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 32 points and 10 assists in three quarters. Jalen Williams had 13 points and seven assists. Holmgren had 17 points and three blocks.
Off the bench, Aaron Wiggins scored 22 points and Cason Wallace totaled 13 points. The Thunder had an eye-popping 64 points from the bench.
“I really liked how much we trusted each other,” Holmgren said. “That ball was really moving around — especially out there in that second unit… Trusted the offense and we did a great job at that all 48 minutes. Whoever was out there on the floor, all five guys trusted each other.”
Meanwhile, the Spurs shot 50% from the field and went 9-of-32 (28.1%) from 3. San Antonio dished out 30 assists on 43 baskets. A pair of 20-point scorers led the Spurs.
Wembanyama totaled 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting, 12 rebounds, four blocks and four assists. Devin Vessell had 21 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
“Just like any other talented player, they’re gonna get their stuff into the game,” Daigneault said on Wembanyama. “I thought we did a good job of being physical with him. We put him in a crowd. We turned him over a couple of times.
“I thought we made the game difficult. He never really operated in free space a ton and that was the key because they were really trying to pump the ball to him and play through him.”
Beyond the Chet vs. Wemby main event, the Thunder did an excellent job of overwhelming the Spurs. The talent difference between both squads was evident as the game progressed.
It was a nice, easy win for the Thunder that provided some sparks between the two Rookie of the Year favorites. After struggling with the Portland Trail Blazers, this was a nice return to form for OKC on how it usually handles the basement dwellers of the league.
“Great job answering the bell tonight by the team,” Daigneault said. “Just great mental toughness. Great discipline. Great togetherness. We’re able to sustain that. I thought we had great endurance tonight.”
Let’s look at Thunder player grades.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus
It was easy work for Gilgeous-Alexander against the struggling Spurs, who don’t roster the personnel to contain the MVP candidate.
In 29 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander had 32 points on 9-of-15 shooting, 10 assists and six rebounds. He shot a perfect 12-of-12 from the free-throw line.
A strong third quarter by Gilgeous-Alexander featured him tallying 16 points and leading OKC to a 24-point lead entering the final frame. He was afforded the luxury to rest during the final quarter, which is massively important for him during this busy stretch of the schedule.
It was Gilgeous-Alexander’s 32nd 30-plus point game of the season, which leads the league. At this point, he’s normalized efficient 30-point outings — arguably his most impressive feat yet.
“We are young and are in really good shape,” Gilgeous-Alexander said on playing the second night of a back-to-back. “We don’t make excuses for ourselves. We try to compete every night and we know the team across from us is not gonna care or feel sorry for us that we played last night.”
Shai serving up hot dishes 🍽️ pic.twitter.com/3eqtqMYtsa
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 25, 2024
Chet Holmgren: B-plus
All eyes were on this contest as it was dubbed a rivalry game on ESPN.
The reasons are obvious — Holmgren and Wembanyama headline this year’s rookie season as both seven-footers are part of the new generation of centers that can handle and shoot the ball.
For the first three quarters, it was mostly calm waters as the Thunder pulled away. But in the fourth quarter, there was a string of possessions where it boiled down to Chet vs. Wemby.
Holmgren made a shot, Wembanyama quickly responded and vice versa. Both players exchanged buckets and finished with nine points and six points respectively in the final frame.
Overall, Holmgren totaled 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks. He shot 2-of-4 from 3.
Alas, the fun was quickly spoiled though as both checked out with a little under seven minutes left in the contest. While it was brief, fans got what they hoped for.
“Obviously, that’s the headline that you guys have,” Holmgren said on matching up with Wembanyama. “That’s what ESPN is promoting, that’s what the NBA is promoting — and rightfully so. Vic’s a great player. I think I have a long way to go in this league.”
Concentration through contact 💪 pic.twitter.com/5P5tnL7kLv
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 25, 2024
Not on @ChetHolmgren's watch 🙅♂️ pic.twitter.com/tFiKsyN7aI
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 25, 2024
Not in Chet's house 🚫#ThunderUp | @okcthunder | @BallySports 📺 pic.twitter.com/xqgI1p0B2J
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 25, 2024
Aaron Wiggins: A-plus
While everybody was awed by the Holmgren and Wembanyama possessions, Wiggins quietly had a strong fourth quarter to finish his best game of the season.
In 19 minutes off the bench, Wiggins scored a season-high 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting. He shot 4-of-6 from 3. The third-year wing had 14 points in the fourth quarter.
Plenty of his points came off of assisted baskets near the rim, but his hot outside shooting helped OKC have its best scoring game of the season.
Wiggins also had an impressive self-created shot in the fourth quarter that mirrored Gilgeous-Alexander’s ability to dribble his way to a tough contested jumper.
“It’s just impressive how he’s learned to leverage the system to his benefit and to his strengths because we’re not running plays for him,” Daigneault said on Wiggins. “And I say that respectfully… He’s just as good of a system player as we’ve had.”
Wiggins added: “I just want to win. In order for me to play and in order for me to be in a position where my team’s winning games, I got to do whatever is needed from my team… Winning games is what matters at the end of the day.”
Quality looks from downtown 👌 pic.twitter.com/zEHJFc1LMs
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 25, 2024
Euro-Wiggins 🌎#ThunderUp | @okcthunder | @BallySports 📺 pic.twitter.com/VjGl46Q1Pm
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 25, 2024
Jalen Williams: B
Fitting the ball in a small window, Williams bounced it over to Josh Giddey for the transition layup. The highlight pass was part of a successful outing for the second-year forward.
Williams had 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals. He shot 1-of-5 from 3.
After hitting a game-winner the night before, Williams wasn’t needed for similar heroics tonight in a blowout win. The 22-year-old played within the flow of the offense and wasn’t required to exert too much energy.
.@jdubwttp threads the needle to @joshgiddey 🎯 pic.twitter.com/0JTjy5IzLh
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 25, 2024
J-Dub starts us off in the 210 💦#ThunderUp | @okcthunder | @BallySports 📺 pic.twitter.com/9WUlNBnvSe
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 25, 2024
