Thunder hold off Spurs fightback as Wembanyama struggles in NBA opener
The Thunder won 116–104 in San Antonio after leading by 26 points. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points, McCain added 20 and Wembanyama finished 1 of 13 from the field.
Contribution SNA · Author profile ·
Listen to this story
Synthetic English voice · 3 min 23 s
Oklahoma City made a winning start to the regular season, beating San Antonio 116–104 on Tuesday 20 October in a game that finished overnight into Wednesday in Brazzaville. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points and Jared McCain added 20, including six three-pointers.
The Thunder largely built their win before the break. Their lead reached 26 points in a dominant first half, before the Spurs cut the deficit after the interval. Oklahoma City kept enough answers in reserve to contain that response and leave with the victory.
Second quarter gives Thunder breathing space
After a first quarter that ended 34–28 in their favour, Oklahoma City stretched their lead in the second. A 9–0 run, followed by another burst of 13 unanswered points, gave the Thunder a substantial cushion. At 59–33, San Antonio were already 26 points down.
The half-time score was 65–44. Oklahoma City won the second quarter 31–16, a margin that would tell right to the end. The Thunder hit five of their eight three-point attempts in the period.
Spurs rally, Gilgeous-Alexander and McCain respond
San Antonio did not go away. The Spurs opened the second half with a 23–9 run that brought them to within ten points. They scored 36 points in the third quarter, against 28 for Oklahoma City, and went into the final twelve minutes 13 points behind, at 93–80.
The comeback forced the visitors to respond. Gilgeous-Alexander and McCain combined for 25 points after the break. The former finished with 32 points, six rebounds and four assists; the latter hit six of his eight three-point attempts and seven of his nine shots overall.
That long-range accuracy gave the Thunder a clear edge: 14 threes from 31 attempts, against 10 from 37 for the Spurs. Oklahoma City did not win every period, but they kept a twelve-point lead at the final buzzer.
Wembanyama makes his mark on defence, struggles with his shot
Victor Wembanyama had a difficult night on offence. He missed his first twelve shots and finished with one basket from thirteen attempts. His only field goal came off a pass from De’Aaron Fox late in the third quarter.
The Frenchman still scored 12 points thanks to ten of twelve free throws. He added 13 rebounds and six blocks. His defensive presence, however, did not fully make up for his struggles to convert chances at the other end of the floor.
Stephon Castle was the Spurs’ top scorer with 24 points, including five three-pointers. Dylan Harper contributed 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists. San Antonio nonetheless finished shooting 38.7% from the field, against 45.3% for Oklahoma City.
A first result, but no verdict
This first result does not settle the season’s ambitions. It gives the Thunder a win on the court of the team that knocked them out in the conference finals in the spring. Oklahoma City host Denver on Thursday 22 October. San Antonio welcome Houston in Austin on Friday 23 October for their next game.
Find the score and statistics on the SNA match page.