LAS VEGAS — Minutes after Oklahoma City ThunderIn their second defeat of the season, some veterans of the defending champions loudly and playfully chided the injured newcomer. Thomas Sorber for not having time to put towels in the lockers in time.
They laughed, stating that this failure to properly handle the rookie's duties would result in Sorber having to “spin” when the team returned home, referring to the Wheel of Fortune-style device at the team's training facility that is used to assign extra work.
Thunder was disappointed with his defeat with a score of 111-109 To San Antonio Spurs in Saturday's NBA Cup semifinals that snapped Oklahoma City's record 16-game winning streak, but he was far from disheartened.
“Personally, I think it's exciting,” Oklahoma City superstar. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s easier to learn when you don’t feel what you want. This hurts even more.
“We'll see these guys too [twice in the next five] games. So it will be a good challenge. Something like an automated test, almost like in school. If you fail the test, you will have to take the test again in a couple of days. Here's what it will probably look like. Losing is where you find growth and really get better.”
The Thunder, who had a preferred starting lineup available for the first time since winning Game 7 of the NBA Finals in June, were consistent with the 2015-16 season. Golden State Warriorsrecord for the best 25-game start in NBA history: 24-1 with an average point differential of plus 17.4.
“What are we, 24-2?” Thunder ahead Jalen Williams said. “I mean, we can go home and just hang our hats on it, or we can look at it as a way to get better and realize that we were playing against a playoff team that beat us and gave us a 2 in our game.” [record]. That's how we look at it from a competitive standpoint.”
Oklahoma City opened Saturday's game with a strong performance, building a 16-point lead with just a few minutes left in the second quarter. But the Spurs rallied to within three points by halftime and jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the third quarter.
“We started strong, but they won the last three quarters,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “They outplayed us tonight. It was an even game, but they outplayed us and deserved to win.
“I'm not sure what exactly happened in terms of what turned the situation around. But I thought that out of 48 minutes they outplayed us in most cases. It's hard to win the game or at least control the game when that's the case.”
Return of Spurs big man Victor Vembanyamawho missed the first quarter on a minutes restriction after missing the previous 12 games with a sprained left calf, was a major factor in San Antonio turning things around.
Vembanyama dominated on both ends of the floor in his 21 minutes, finishing with 22 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks. Spurs edged Thunder by 21 points with Wembanyama involved.
“It just doesn't suit everyone. He is 7 years old, whoever he is, he has good skills. On that one possession, I knocked the ball out once and then hit him on the way up and he still found a way to hit it.” – Thunder Guard Alex Caruso Said, referring to the basket that put the Spurs ahead for good with 2:32 remaining in the contest. “Just a great player and he’s going to get better too.”
The Thunder had a last-second chance to send the game into overtime, but Caruso couldn't make what would have been a wonderful call on Williams' intentionally missed free throw. Caruso and other players in an Oklahoma City uniform thought there was contact on the play that could have merited a penalty, but Caruso said he didn't expect to get that kind of whistle when the game was on the line.
“Maybe, I don’t know,” Daigneault said when asked if a foul should have been called on the play. “But when we play like this, I’m just not going to come here and bash the refereeing. Frankly, no one wants to hear it.”
Oklahoma City Power Forward/Center Chet Holmgren described the team as “eager and excited” to watch film of the loss and figure out how to correct the deficiencies exposed by the Spurs.
The Thunder felt their offense had become too stagnant, especially against an elite rim protector in Vembanyama. Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored a game-high 29 points but had a season-high five turnovers, took most of the blame for that.
“We can’t be spoiled,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We cannot think that we are above anything. We, like all teams in the league, if you show up to a game and don't do what it takes to win, you probably won't win, no matter how talented or what your accomplishments are. That’s what happened to us tonight.”
