Thunder Rookies Shine Again in Close Loss to Spurs

The Thunder came up just short Wednesday night, falling to San Antonio at home 114-106.

Oklahoma City was able to stay in the contest because of solid overall offense, but scoring droughts combined with a hot second quarter for the Spurs were too much to overcome.

The Thunder gave up 39 points in the second frame alone, putting OKC in a 15-point halftime hole.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Josh Giddey drilled a 3-pointer bringing the Thunder within six points, 89-83, but that was the closest OKC came to victory.

Jakob Poeltl was a thorn in the Thunder’s side once again, pouring in 20 points and 17 rebounds. The Thunder had no answer for him defensively or on the glass.

Here’s who led the way for the Thunder:

Josh Giddey

The 19-year-old recorded his third straight triple double Wednesday. Giddey is now the youngest, second youngest and third youngest player in NBA history to triple double.

Giddey continued to score at a high clip, recording 17 points against the Spurs. He paired that with 10 rebounds and 10 assists. The rookie only committed one turnover on the night.

Giddey has been manning the offense with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still out and it’s worked out nicely for this young Thunder squad.

Tre Mann

For the second game in a row, Mann was OKC’s main source of offense. Wednesday night, he was an efficient 10-for-20 from the floor with 24 points.

Mann scored many of his points in isolation situations, as Oklahoma City relied on him to get a bucket down the stretch multiple times. His step back continues to look strong as he creates so much space and is able to know down the shot.

The Florida product is proving to be a fantastic 3-point shooter, going 3-for-7 tonight. His play as of late is a super encouraging sign for the Thunder.

Theo Maledon

After a stint in the G League, Maledon finally looks like he belongs on the Thunder. I’m sure this is how many Thunder fans envisioned him playing at the beginning of the season after a full offseason.

While struggling to start the year, Maledon has now scored 18 or more points in two of the last four contests. Wednesday night, Maledon netted 22 points and three rebounds as the guard looked very comfortable.

If Maledon can provide solid help off the bench, he can lock up the backup point guard spot. With Ty Jerome our, there are minutes to go around.

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