Three Takeaways From the OKC Thunder’s Disappointing Loss in San Antonio
In a battle of the league’s best rookies, the Oklahoma City Thunder came up short.
The Thunder lost to the San Antonio Spurs 132-118 on Thursday night to begin a four-game road trip. In the third battle of Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren, the No. 1 overall pick won in dominant fashion.
The game was close throughout before the Spurs built on their late lead with some highlights from Wembanyama. With a 3-pointer over Holmgren from well beyond the arc, then a block on Holmgren’s mid-range jumper, Wembanyama sealed the game for the Spurs.
Still, the Thunder’s stars shined, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 31 and Jalen Williams scoring 26. Those two helped the Thunder get back into the game but could not lead them to a win.
Let’s dive into three lessons that can be learned from yesterday’s game:
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OKC can’t afford losses like this
As the team battles for the No. 1 seed in the West this season, losses to some of the league’s worst need to be avoided at all costs. Thursday’s game was particularly rough to lose because of the Thunder’s upcoming schedule.
San Antonio was the first stop of a four-game road trip that includes multiple games against playoff contenders. Oklahoma City’s defense was the main reason for concern on Thursday.
The Thunder gave up 132 points against the Spurs, the fifth-most they have given up this season. In a game against the 27th-ranked offense, giving up that many points makes it nearly impossible to win on the road.
Chet Holmgren would win ROTY in almost any other year
Holmgren’s immense talent shined through against the Spurs on Thursday. He finished his battle with Wembanyama with 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
However, Wembanyama’s counter of 28 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks is exactly why he will take home the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy after the season. The counting stats for San Antonio’s franchise player are too much for anyone to beat, and his winning plays in the closing minutes added to his case.
Despite Holmgren and the Thunder handily winning the first two matchups between the teams, wins are not enough to sway Holmgren’s chances. In most other seasons, a difference of 29 wins heading into March would be a significant factor in the race.
Although Holmgren won’t get any hardware for his impressive rookie season, he has been the exact player Oklahoma City needs as it hopes to make a deep postseason run.
OKC needs more from Josh Giddey
The Thunder’s starting guard has had a rough season, and it does not appear to be turning around. Giddey had one of his worst nights of the season in San Antonio on Thursday.
He finished with only two points and two assists on 1-of-5 shooting. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault played him for less than two minutes in the fourth quarter as he played his fourth-lowest minutes this season.
Since the All-Star break, Giddey has averaged only 21.2 minutes compared to his season average of 24.7, which is already a career-low. For the Thunder to justify starting him the rest of the season and into the playoffs, he needs to start giving much more production on both ends.
The Thunder must get over their loss quickly before a back-to-back on the West Coast. Although the team has been resilient throughout the season, March will provide a significant test for the young group.
Oklahoma City will begin a back-to-back in Phoenix on Sunday before a matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.
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