SAN ANTONIO. The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-106 in the NBA, controlling the game from start to finish for their fourth victory of the season against the defending champion. The Thunder were severely hampered by injuries, with only eight players available.
Keldon Johnson led the game with 25 points, while Victor Wembanyama made his presence felt on both ends of the floor with 22 points and 14 rebounds. San Antonio never trailed on the scoreboard and maintained their advantage with solid and consistent execution throughout all four quarters.
The home team's control was reinforced by De'Aaron Fox, who recorded 15 points and 10 assists, and rookie Carter Bryant, who matched his season high with 11 points on a night when the Spurs extended their winning streak to two consecutive victories. A crucial stretch came between the first and second quarters, when Jordan McLaughlin, with minimal playing time in recent games, hit a three-pointer that capped a 12-2 run to open up a 42-26 lead.
Oklahoma City, without their usual starting lineup and missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander due to an abdominal strain, stayed competitive thanks to their frontcourt's effort. Kenrich Williams led the visitors with 25 points, Jaylin Williams contributed 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Aaron Wiggins added 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting. The three combined for 69 points, 36 of them in the first half, in a constant effort to keep the team in the game.
The shortage of available players was evident late in the third quarter, when with the score at 90-80 in favor of San Antonio, only the coaching staff occupied the Thunder's bench while head coach Mark Daigneault prepared to bring in his three available rotation players. Still, Oklahoma City could not significantly close the gap in the fourth quarter.
With this result, the Spurs (34-16) sit five games behind the Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City (40-12), who are going through an irregular stretch after winning just three of their last seven games.
The victory reinforces San Antonio's favorable trend in head-to-head matchups this season, after winning three of four games against the Thunder, including a 111-109 victory in the NBA Cup semifinals on December 13.