Overview
- San Antonio won 117-102 on Christmas in Oklahoma City, led by De’Aaron Fox’s 29 points as Victor Wembanyama added 19 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench.
- Wembanyama landed awkwardly on a Lu Dort closeout, briefly stayed down, then returned and was later cleared, with Dort describing the play as unintentional and online reaction reigniting scrutiny of landing-space enforcement.
- The Spurs have taken three meetings in 12 days to move to 23-7, now 2.5 games behind the 26-5 Thunder, and ESPN noted it’s the first time since 1966-67 that three of a team’s first five losses came to the same opponent.
- Thunder voices acknowledged the gap, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said the champion must improve, Jalen Williams likened the Spurs’ cohesion to an earlier OKC group, and coach Mark Daigneault praised San Antonio’s depth with or without Wembanyama.
- Head coach Mitch Johnson reiterated that Wembanyama remains on a firm minutes limit after a recent calf strain, emphasizing the team will not exceed the plan under any circumstances.