San Antonio Knocks Off Oklahoma City in a Thrilling NBA Cup Semifinal
The Spurs announced to the world that they are officially here after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-109 Saturday in Las Vegas in the semifinals of the Emirates NBA Cup- despite committing 20 turnovers.
The defending champion, Thunder, through their first 25 games of the season have by far been the league’s most dominant team. Going into Saturday’s matchup with the Spurs, the Thunder had a 16-game winning streak. With the loss they now are 24-2, the second-best start behind only the 25-1 record by Golden State in 2015-16.
12 Game Hiatus
V-Dub returned from a 12-game hiatus with 22 points and nine rebounds in just 21 minutes of action due to minute restrictions. Devin Vassell led the Spurs with 23 points and De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle each scored 22 in the victory.
Reining MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 29 points, While Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams each tallied 17 in a losing effort.
Spurs Move to 4th in Western Conference
With the win the Spurs move into fourth place in the Western Conference at 18-7, just one game behind the second place Nuggets and 5.5 games behind the Thunder.
In other Spurs news, the Silver and Black had three players on ESPN’s Top 25 Under 25.
V-Dub topped the list at #1 for the second straight season while Stephon Castle ranked 16th and rookie guard Dylan Harper came in at 18.
Spurs fans should feel optimistic about the team’s prospects at a playoff spot this year as well as the squad’s future.
Winners Collect $530,000 Per Player
The Spurs will next face the New York Knicks on Tuesday in the Finals of this year’s NBA Cup. The winner will collect $530,000 per player.
Upcoming Games:
Tue, Dec 16 (2) New York (18-7), 7:30pm, Prime Video, NBA Cup Championship
Thu, Dec 18 vs (15) Washington (4-20), 7pm
Fri, Dec 19 @ (8) Atlanta (15-12), 6:30pm
Sun, Dec 21 @ (15) Washington (4-20) 6pm
Tue, Dec 23 vs (1) OKC (24-2), 7:30pm
