Game ID: 22300622
Oklahoma City Thunder @ San Antonio Spurs
Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at 9:30 PM ET
Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
SAS 28 24 24 38 114OKC 35 28 37 40 140
OKC @ SAS ScoutingOKC @ SAS Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
SAS availability going into 1/17 · 1 day's restOUT Collins missed 8 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Graham missed 2 since 1/13, returns tonight: 5 min (35% of 14)
OUT Cissoko missed 7 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK McDermott back 1/10 after 2, 14 min since (92% of 15)
NEW Barlow 13 to 20 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 1/19 · 1 day's restOUT Collins missed 9 since 12/31, returns tonight: 26 min (117% of 22)
OUT Cissoko missed 8 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK McDermott back 1/10 after 2, 13 min since (88% of 15)
BACK Graham back 1/12 after 4, 7 min since (53% of 14)
NEW Barlow 13 to 20 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 1/20 · back-to-backOUT Cissoko missed 9 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Collins back 1/19 after 9, 26 min since (117% of 22)
BACK Graham back 1/12 after 4, 7 min since (53% of 14)
NEW Barlow 13 to 19 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 1/22 · 1 day's restOUT Graham missed 2 since 1/19, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 10 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Collins back 1/19 after 9, 23 min since (104% of 22)
NEW Barlow 13 to 20 min over the last 4
SAS availability going into 1/24 · 1 day's restOUT Graham missed 3 since 1/19, returns tonight: 5 min (35% of 14)
OUT Barlow missed 2 since 1/20, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 11 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Collins back 1/19 after 9, 22 min since (99% of 22)
SAS availability going into 1/26 · 1 day's restOUT Barlow missed 3 since 1/20, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 12 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Collins back 1/19 after 9, 21 min since (94% of 22)
BACK Graham back 1/17 after 2, 5 min since (35% of 14)
SAS availability going into 1/27 · back-to-backOUT Barlow missed 4 since 1/20, returns tonight: 18 min (143% of 13)
OUT Cissoko missed 13 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Collins back 1/19 after 9, 20 min since (92% of 22)
BACK Graham back 1/24 after 3, 5 min since (35% of 14)
NEW Wesley 14 to 20 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 1/29 · 1 day's restOUT Branham missed 2 since 1/26, out tonight
OUT Graham missed 2 since 1/26, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 14 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Barlow back 1/27 after 4, 18 min since (143% of 13)
NEW Wesley 14 to 21 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 1/31 · 1 day's restOUT Collins missed 2 since 1/27, out tonight
OUT Branham missed 3 since 1/26, returns tonight: 15 min (72% of 21)
OUT Graham missed 3 since 1/26, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 15 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Barlow back 1/27 after 4, 16 min since (128% of 13)
NEW Wesley 14 to 20 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 1/16 · back-to-backBACK Dieng back 1/11 after 9, 15 min since (144% of 10)
OKC availability going into 1/18 · 1 day's restBACK Dieng back 1/11 after 9, 12 min since (118% of 10)
OKC availability going into 1/20 · 1 day's restBACK Dieng back 1/11 after 9, 12 min since (118% of 10)
OKC availability going into 1/23 · 2 days' restOUT Dieng missed 2 since 1/18, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/24 · back-to-backOUT Dieng missed 3 since 1/18, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/26 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 4 since 1/18, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/28 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 5 since 1/18, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/29 · back-to-backOUT Dieng missed 6 since 1/18, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/31 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 7 since 1/18, returns tonight: 9 min (85% of 10)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 122, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 20 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 28 and Vassell at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 28 and Jal. Williams at 23 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, OKC at 37 percent from three to San Antonio's 32 and the defense, OKC allowing 115 a night to San Antonio's 122. Call it OKC 118, San Antonio 116, San Antonio keeping it close.
1/17 @ BOS 98-117 — SAS notes
SAS lost 98-117. SAS shot 42% (39 of 93) to BOS's 47%, 7 of 34 from three. The glass went 41-54 against them. Wembanyama led with 27 (10 of 19, 2 of 6 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Vassell added 21. Q3 was theirs, 33-24, the deficit cut from 25 to 16, but the other 3 periods went 93-65 against them. Branham's -20 in 16 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/19 @ CHA 120-124 — SAS notes
SAS lost 120-124. SAS shot 56% (47 of 84) to CHA's 56%, 15 of 32 from three. Johnson led with 25 (9 of 15, 4 of 8 from three); Vassell added 17, Jones 16. Q4 was theirs, 35-27, the deficit cut from 12 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 97-85 against them. Champagnie's -18 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/20 @ WAS 131-127 — SAS notes
SAS won 131-127. SAS shot 53% (51 of 96) to WAS's 48%, 12 of 31 from three. SAS turned it over 17 times to WAS's 11, and WAS turned those into 10 steals. Wembanyama led with 24 (10 of 21, 2 of 5 from three); Sochan added 23, Vassell 21. The hinge was Q2, 35-30: a lead of 1 became 6. Sochan was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
1/22 @ PHI 123-133 — SAS notes
SAS lost 123-133. SAS shot 46% (43 of 93) to PHI's 49%, 13 of 41 from three, and got to the line 27 times to PHI's 40. Wembanyama led with 33 (10 of 19, 2 of 5 from three, 11 of 12 at the line); Vassell added 22, Sochan 14. Q4 was theirs, 34-29, the deficit cut from 15 to 10, but the other 3 periods went 104-89 against them. Vassell's -17 in 38 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/24 vs OKC 114-140 — SAS notes
SAS lost 114-140. SAS shot 50% (43 of 86) to OKC's 56%, 9 of 32 from three, and went to the line 25 times to OKC's 16 — 19 points from the stripe to their 14. Wembanyama led with 24 (9 of 18, 0 of 3 from three, 6 of 8 at the line); Vassell added 21, Wesley 12. Q4 was theirs, 38-40, but the other 3 periods went 100-76 against them. Johnson's -32 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/26 vs POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 128, shooting 49 percent and 33 from three, 22 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 27 and Vassell at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest. Portland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 119, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Grant at 25 and Simons at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Sharpe (7 straight), Murray (2 straight), Rupert (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: San Antonio wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Portland has been plus-4 a night and San Antonio minus-6 and the defense, Portland allowing 119 a night to San Antonio's 128. Call it San Antonio 118, Portland 117, Portland keeping it close.
1/27 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 125, shooting 50 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 26 and Vassell at 19 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 107, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 24 free throws a game; Towns at 30 and Edwards at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 107 a night to San Antonio's 125 and the arc, Minnesota at 40 percent from three to San Antonio's 35. Call it Minnesota 118, San Antonio 112.
1/29 vs WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 122, shooting 50 percent and 34 from three, 23 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 25 and Vassell at 21 a game. Without Branham (2 straight). One day's rest. Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 118, shooting 46 percent and 31 from three, 23 free throws a game; Kuzma at 20 and Bagley III at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: San Antonio wins, and the game turns on the glass, where San Antonio has been plus-4 a night and Washington minus-5. Call it San Antonio 120, Washington 117, Washington keeping it close.
1/31 vs ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 121, shooting 49 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 25 and Vassell at 21 a game. Without Collins (2 straight), Branham (3 straight). One day's rest. Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 110, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 28 free throws a game; Banchero at 25 and F. Wagner at 17 a game. Without Gar. Harris (13 straight). One day's rest.
So: San Antonio wins, and the game turns on the defense, Orlando allowing 110 a night to San Antonio's 121 and the line, where Orlando takes 28 free throws a game to San Antonio's 22. Call it San Antonio 115, Orlando 114, Orlando keeping it close.
1/16 @ LAC 117-128 — OKC notes
OKC lost 117-128. OKC shot 51% (42 of 83) to LAC's 54%, 16 of 34 from three. Jal. Williams led with 25 (10 of 14, 2 of 3 from three); Gilgeous-Alexander added 19, Dort 19. Q2 was theirs, 31-30, the deficit cut from 5 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 98-86 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander's -19 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/18 @ UTA 134-129 — OKC notes
OKC won 134-129. OKC shot 56% (48 of 86) to UTA's 48%, 14 of 32 from three, and got to the line 28 times to UTA's 36. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 31 (8 of 15, 15 of 17 at the line); Jal. Williams added 27, Giddey 20. The hinge was Q1, 39-27: from level to 12 ahead, and the lead reached 19. Jal. Williams was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
1/20 @ MIN 102-97 — OKC notes
OKC won 102-97. OKC shot 40% (32 of 81) to MIN's 41%, 8 of 24 from three, and went to the line 35 times to MIN's 29 — 30 points from the stripe to their 21. OKC turned it over 8 times to MIN's 21. The glass went 37-50 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 33 (10 of 22, 12 of 13 at the line); Jal. Williams added 20, Holmgren 15. The hinge was Q4, 28-14: OKC came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 5, and the lead reached 16.
1/23 vs POR 111-109 — OKC notes
OKC won 111-109. OKC shot 48% (43 of 89) to POR's 43%, 7 of 23 from three, and went to the line 28 times to POR's 21 — 18 points from the stripe to their 17. OKC turned it over 12 times to POR's 19. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 33 (10 of 24, 0 of 3 from three, 13 of 17 at the line); Jal. Williams added 19, Wiggins 13. The hinge was Q1, 38-28: from level to 10 ahead. OKC trailed 58-66 at the half and won the second half 53-43. Gilgeous-Alexander was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
1/24 @ SAS 140-114 — OKC notes
OKC won 140-114. OKC shot 56% (54 of 96) to SAS's 50%, 18 of 40 from three, and got to the line 16 times to SAS's 25. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 32 (9 of 15, 12 of 12 at the line); Wiggins added 22, Holmgren 17. The hinge was Q3, 37-24: a lead of 11 became 24, and the lead reached 32. K. Williams was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
1/26 @ NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 118, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 28 free throws a game; McCollum at 23 and Williamson at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 115, shooting 50 percent and 41 from three, 25 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 30 and Jal. Williams at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-5 a night and OKC minus-2. Call it New Orleans 119, OKC 118, OKC keeping it close.
1/28 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 122, shooting 47 percent and 40 from three, 25 free throws a game; Bogdanović at 24 and Ivey at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Wiseman (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 106, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Jal. Williams at 19 a game. That is 5 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 106 a night to Detroit's 122 and the glass, where OKC has been minus-1 a night and Detroit minus-5. Call it OKC 121, Detroit 112.
1/29 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 105, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Jal. Williams at 17 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 109, shooting 48 percent and 41 from three, 23 free throws a game; Towns at 31 and Edwards at 24 a game. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the arc, Minnesota at 41 percent from three to OKC's 34 and the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-2 a night and OKC minus-3. Call it OKC 113, Minnesota 110, Minnesota keeping it close.
1/31 vs DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Jal. Williams at 17 a game. One day's rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 109, shooting 47 percent and 30 from three, 24 free throws a game; Jokić at 31 and Murray at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-4 a night and OKC minus-1 and the arc, OKC at 36 percent from three to Denver's 30. Call it OKC 115, Denver 109.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
OKCAP A. Pokusevski
AW A. Wiggins
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
DB D. Bertans
IJ I. Joe
JG J. Giddey
JW J. Williams
JW Jal. Williams
KW K. Williams
LD L. Dort
MI Micic
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
VM V. Micić
SASBW B. Wesley
CO C. Osman
DG D. Graham
DM D. McDermott
DV D. Vassell
JC J. Champagnie
JS J. Sochan
KJ K. Johnson
MB M. Branham
SM S. Mamukelashvili
VW V. Wembanyama
ZC Z. Collins
OKC/SAS the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
SAN ANTONIO -- — Oklahoma City did not lose sight of its objective even as the focus was squarely on the battle between San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama and fellow rookie Chet Holmgren .
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 32 points and 10 assists, and the Thunder overcame 24 points and 12 rebounds from Wembanyama to beat the Spurs 140-114 on Wednesday night.
Holmgren had 17 points and nine rebounds as Oklahoma City won its fourth straight. The Thunder remain tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves atop the Western Conference at 31-13.
“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 versus Spurs.”
Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault attempted to downplay the matchup between two of the top contenders for Rookie of the Year in Wembanyama and Holmgren.
“It’s a team sport, not tennis,” Daigneault said.
But it was difficult to ignore a pair of 7-footers with a unique set of skills.
It was especially hard to ignore after Wembanyama said “every game is a statement” after Holmgren won his second straight Rookie of the Month.
Wembanyama was 9 for 18 from the field but missed all three of his 3-point attempts. He added four blocks, four assists and a steal in 28 minutes.
“The way he played tonight is the way he tries to play every night,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. “It’s not because of any one individual. He plays hard. He competes. He’s learning every day.”
Wembanyama opened the skirmish with a spin move around Holmgren in the paint to bank in a layup.
The No. 1 pick from France later turned to glare at Holmgren after throwing down a one-handed dunk on him with two minutes left in the first half.
“My first goal is always to win,” Wembanyama said. “In a game like this, I don’t think about that, especially in a loss.”
Holmgren’s 3-pointer gave Oklahoma City its biggest lead at the time at 103-76 a minute into the fourth quarter. Wembanyama responded on the following possession by bullying through Holmgren for a two-handed dunk and a staredown. Holmgren was assessed an offensive foul for pushing Wembanyama on the next possession.
In the end, Oklahoma City’s balanced attack proved too much for San Antonio.
“Early in the game, their weak side was collapsing on like every drive,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Just randomly, it wasn’t like a rotation, especially Victor. He would just come in on every drive and try to block it. I think we got caught a couple of times early in the game and then once we started not taking the bait and moving it, they were spread out and we were able to get layups later in the game.”
Playing the second night of a back-to-back, the Thunder shot 56% from the field and were 18 for 40 on 3-pointers. Six players scored in double figures, including Aaron Wiggins with 22.
“We played well in the first half, but the 3-point shots really hurt us,” Popovich said. “And they scored 30 points off our turnovers. If you’re not going to shoot 3s, you can’t double down by giving up 30 points off turnovers or you’re going to get your (butt) kicked like tonight.”
Devin Vassell had 21 points for the Spurs. San Antonio was 9 for 32 on 3-pointers.
Oklahoma City led by 19 points four minutes into the second half. The Thunder were 11 for 22 on 3-pointers in the first half and the Spurs were 3 for 15.
Spurs second-year guard Blake Wesley made his second career start in place of Tre Jones , who missed the game with a sprained left ankle. Wesley finished with 12 points and six assists.
“We felt (Jones’ absence) with the lack sometimes of organization,” Wembanyama said. “His expertise is precious. I could feel especially in the second half, third quarter that we needed him, but it happens in a season.”