The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder are facing off for the fourth time in the regular season on Tuesday, as the Spurs have had the defending champion's number, already defeating the Thunder three times this season, with the last matchup on Christmas Day.
If asked about a possible reason as to why the Spurs have had so much success, there would likely be different reasons given. Still, most people could point to Victor Wembanyama getting the best of Chet Holmgren in the battle of seven-footers.
However, Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony suggests his perspective on why the Thunder hasn't been able to crack San Antonio's code.
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Anthony believes the Spurs have a better bench than OKC
On the ten-time all-star's podcast, "7PMinBrooklyn," Anthony talked about how the Spurs-Thunder matchup is decided by the others on both teams, not the stars.
"That's where the game is always won at between OKC and San Antonio, to me, if you take the stars out, San Antonio 'others' are better than the 'others' of OKC, Anthony declared.
Throughout the season, San Antonio has received much praise for its young talent, such as Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, while also getting strong production from veterans and champions, Harrison Barnes and Luke Kornet.
On the other hand, OKC also has quality guys who may not get star attention, such as Alex Caruso, Isaiah Joe, and Lo Dort. Still, they have, for the most part, underperformed in the three games against the Spurs, which is why Anthony makes a fair observation on why San Antonio has had the champs' number.
Time will tell whether the Thunder can finally defeat the Spurs on Tuesday night, but if they fall short again, Anthony appears to know why.
More Spurs news:
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- Mitch Johnson is not too worried about his trio of guards after some rough performances
- Spurs’ Dylan Harper highlighted in latest rookie power rankings
- Mitch Johnson admits Victor Wembanyama still has some room to left to grow
- Jeremy Sochan gets honest about getting benched by the San Antonio Spurs this season