The Oklahoma City Thunder they were put to the test, which is quite rare. And they didn’t even win, which is even rarer.
There will be no other match this season NBA Cup for the reigning champions, whose series of 16 consecutive victories ended with a defeat for 111-109 against i San Antonio Spurs.
There is certainly no reason to be alarmed. Oklahoma City matched the second-best start to a season in the history of NBA, with ben 26 victories. OKC opened Saturday’s match playing at his usual level, building a lead of 16 points with a few minutes left in the second quarter. But the Spurs they recovered by half-time and took the lead thanks to a partial 10-0 placed in the third quarter.
And i Thunder they only pulled with the 41% from the fieldtheir season low, pulling with a 9 is 37 by three points, their third worst result in the category this season. In doing so, they allowed the Spurs to transform 15 turnovers in 26 points.
I Thunder they had a chance to take the game to overtime, but Alex Caruso he failed to pull off what would have been a miracle tap-in on an intentionally missed free throw. And, after all that, they lost by just one field goal. Among other things, on an evening when Victor Wembanyama he returned to the field.
“It wasn’t our best night” he said coach Mark Daigneault. “They’re a good team. Let’s give them credit. They played great. There are a lot of controllable things in that game that didn’t go the way we would have liked.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said it was strange to lose.
“Personally, I think it’s exciting” he said. “It’s easier to learn when you don’t feel the way you want to. It hurts a little more. Plus, we’ll play that team a couple more times, so it’ll be a good challenge. It’s almost like a test at school: if you fail, you can try again a couple of days later. That’s probably going to be the case. It’s in defeats that growth is found. Playing bigger games, with a little more pressure, definitely helps you hone your skills for later in the season, when the games matter. All these experiences definitely help you grow.”
