Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Out, But Thunder Beat Spurs
Coming off the most impressive win of their season against the Denver Nuggets, the San Antonio Spurs lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder 102-90 on Sunday evening.
Continuing the theme of San Antonio's injury-riddled roster, Keldon Johnson and Jeremy Sochan missed the chance to win consecutive games for the home crowd. Regarding injuries, Oklahoma City's All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was a late scratch due to an abdominal strain.
Leading for the first six minutes of the contest, the Spurs failed to upkeep the energy as the Thunder's aggressiveness got Zach Collins into foul trouble early in the first quarter. The Spurs trailed by as much as 17 points, with only a few runs of resistance in the first half.
Aside from a few players, both teams struggled to shoot the ball. Both teams shot 37 percent from the field and converted less than 30 of their three-point shots.
Turnovers destroyed San Antonio as they coughed up the ball 18 times. With no true point guard on the court to lead the team, they lacked a sense of direction.
The Spurs tied the game early in the third quarter, but the Thunder responded promptly with a 7-0 run diffusing San Antonio's short spark. While the home crowd was into the game, the Spurs could only do so much without Johnson's aggressive scoring and the energy-creating Sochan.
Zach Collins scored the ball well and overall had a productive game. Late in the fourth quarter, his aggressiveness sparked a technical foul from Gregg Popovich as the officials swallowed their whistle on a bang-bang call under the rim.
Collins finished with a game-high 23 points on 4-5 three-point shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds.
The Spurs return to action Tuesday against the Orlando Magic. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
You can follow Lance Roberson on Twitter.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Spurs? Click Here.
Follow Inside the Spurs on Twitter.
Follow Inside the Spurs on Facebook.
Want even more San Antonio Spurs news? Check out the SI.com team page here.
