SGA Drops 32, OKC Blows Open San Antonio 116-104
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander posted 32 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks as Oklahoma City pulled away from San Antonio 116-104. The story of the night was a first-quarter OKC surge that turned a competitive game into a rout before halftime even arrived.
San Antonio actually drew first blood — Devin Vassell draining a 24-footer off a Victor Wembanyama assist to open the scoring at 3-0. But OKC answered fast. Gilgeous-Alexander hit a 26-foot step-back three to flip the lead, Chet Holmgren added a driving layup, and the Thunder were up 7-3 before San Antonio could blink. The Spurs clawed back — Stephon Castle's running layup and free throw gave SA an 8-7 edge — and the game stayed tight through the midpoint of the first quarter, trading buckets in a genuine back-and-forth. Then Jared McCain happened. Gilgeous-Alexander found him for a 24-foot running jumper, then again for a 15-foot step-back, and suddenly OKC led 23-15. McCain wasn't done: he knocked in a 27-footer off an Aday Mara assist, Alex Caruso buried two consecutive threes — the second a 27-footer with 49 seconds left — and OKC closed the first quarter on a 13-2 run to lead 34-23. Castle's buzzer pull-up made it 34-28 at the break, but the damage was done.
The second quarter is where the game was formally decided. Jaylin Williams opened with a 28-foot three, and then came the sequence that mathematically sealed San Antonio's fate. A flagrant foul on Holmgren sent him to the line for two free throws, and the resulting technical on Wembanyama gave the big man two technical free throws of his own — but the win probability swung from 6% to 28% for San Antonio when Wembanyama converted that technical, a brief flicker of life that OKC immediately extinguished. Kenrich Williams answered with a 24-foot three, Ajay Mitchell scored on a floater, Jalen Williams added a layup and then a 26-foot three, and OKC was up 49-30 before San Antonio could regroup. The Thunder led by 16 at halftime and never looked back, winning 116-104.
For San Antonio, Castle's 24 points and 7 rebounds were a genuine bright spot, and Dylan Harper's 18-point, 7-rebound, 5-assist line looks like the kind of performance a young team can build on. De'Aaron Fox added 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. But OKC's depth was the difference — McCain finished with 20 points off what appears to have been a reserve role, and Holmgren contributed 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks alongside Gilgeous-Alexander's dominant two-way effort. Jordan McLaughlin was listed as a DNP — coach's decision for San Antonio. Oklahoma City's combination of star power and secondary scoring looks, frankly, suffocating.