LAS VEGAS (AP) — Victor Wembanyama returned after a 12-game absence with 22 points and nine rebounds to give San Antonio a 111-109 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night, which accumulated its second loss, putting the Spurs in the NBA Cup final.
The Spurs will play the New York Knicks on Tuesday night in the finals.
Oklahoma’s last loss was Nov. 5 in Portland, and the Thunder came into this game on a 16-game winning streak. They now have a 24-2 record, the second-best start behind only Golden State’s 25-1 record in 2015-16.
This is the Thunder’s second consecutive loss in Las Vegas. They also lost last year’s finals to Milwaukee 97-81.
Devin Vassell scored 23 points and De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle each scored 22.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 29 points, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams each added 17.
Wembanyama had been out due to a left calf strain and entered the game averaging 26.2 points and 12.9 rebounds, to give the Spurs an immediate boost and energize the crowd.
___
Sports in Spanish AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
