The Oklahoma City Thunder lost their second game of the season on Saturday night, falling to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Cup semifinals.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points, but an inefficient second quarter (18 points) proved to be too much to overcome as the the Thunder lost by two in a tight Western Conference matchup.
On the other side of the floor, Victor Wembanyama looked dominant in his return from injury posting 22 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in 21 minutes. San Antonio ended with four scorers of 22 points or more (Fox, Vassell and Castle in addition to Wembanyama).
The game gave fans a preview of what is to come in the Western Conference as both the Thunder and Spurs are expected to be dominant forces for many seasons.
After the game, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander anticipated that fact, praising San Antonio. When asked about the two teams developing a rivalry, SGA had this to say: “Possibly, yeah, there’s a good chance. They’re young, really good, have a lot of talent, play the right way. Yeah, definitely a possibility. I’ve noticed that anything can happen in a couple of years.”
Oklahoma City won't have to wait long in order to get their revenge, as the two teams are set to face off once more on Dec. 23.
In the meantime, they'll look to get back into the win column on Thursday against the Los Angeles Clippers. If the Thunder win their next five games, they'll remain on pace with the 2015-16 Warriors for the best record in NBA history, as Golden State suffered their second loss in their 31st game of the season (29-2).
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- Victor Wembanyama sets lofty ambitions for return
- SGA makes his feelings clear on breaking the 2015-16 Warriors 73-9 record
- a Pistons' head coach forgot about Victor Wembanyama