After a tough defeat by the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 15 where star center Victor Wembanyama sustained a minor knee injury, many predicted an unfortunate stretch of games for the Spurs and an early NBA Cup exit. Additionally, a blowout loss to the Mavericks and the game-time decision to bench Devin Vassell due to a minor injury did not bode well for the Spurs’ chances against Oklahoma City.
The Thunder, who were near the top of the Western Conference with an 11-3 record, being without their own young star Chet Holmgren, left an opening for the Spurs to capitalize on, but the control the Spurs had over the entire game exceeded expectations. At times throughout the game, the Thunder came close to erasing the Spurs’ momentum, but acting head coach Mitch Johnson noted his team’s composure against tough odds.
“They trusted the game plan even when it wavered at times,” Johnson said. “Good teams make shots, and I think they did a good job of not flinching when [the Thunder] made a few shots and probably loosened up our game plan a little bit.”
The performances of Zach Collins and Charles Bassey, the big men filling the Wembanyama void, were of particular note. Collins, who received criticism from fans after the loss against the Mavericks and struggled in the first quarter against the Thunder, recovered from his setbacks to put in a solid effort with 12 points and seven rebounds.
As for Bassey, he was finally cleared to play against the Mavericks on Nov. 16 after tearing his ACL last December, where he impressed fans with his intensity. Against the Thunder, though, he impressed with more than that, as he proved to be a critical spark plug off the bench which the Spurs used to generate runs in several critical moments throughout the game.
“Last year when I was out I was just watching a lot of film with the coaches,” Bassey said. “They’ve been preparing me the whole summer. I was in the gym, I didn’t go anywhere. No vacation.”
Aside from the bigs making up for Wembanyama’s paint presence, the Spurs worked around his absence by casting a wide net. The Spurs had seven players who scored double-digit points, a sharp contrast to the Thunder who had nearly 57% of their points scored by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32) and Jalen Williams (27). Chris Paul, who contributed 14 points, 11 assists and five rebounds to the victory, said this partially has to do with the team needing to adapt to injury struggles.
“For us, we’ve had so many different guys in and out of the lineup, so we’re just trying to figure out things that work on any given night. Guys stepped up, everything was by committee. It was a defensive effort tonight, and that’s why we won,” Paul said.
Paul was not the only veteran impressed with the team effort. Harrison Barnes, a remarkably consistent contributor this season who had 20 points and eight rebounds against the Thunder, said the Spurs’ loss to Oklahoma City on Oct. 7 allowed them to adjust for this matchup.
“The first time that we played them, we didn’t approach it with the same energy and force that we needed to play with,” Barnes said. “Guys were maybe overthinking, being timid, things like that. I think the biggest thing tonight for us was just playing with energy, knowing we’re gonna make mistakes, having the full confidence of the coaching staff behind us and just seeing how it plays out.”
Stephon Castle contributed massively to the win with a game-clinching block along with eight assists despite having an off-night shooting. He made note of the confidence boost given by winning without critical pieces.
“Not having our full group, guys that obviously impact every game, and still going out there and beating a team like that, it means a lot. It speaks highly of how we approach the game,” Castle said.
