Photo by Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images Not so fun on the other end of it, huh? Hello, 911. Yes, I’d like to report a murder. From the jump, the San Antonio Spurs were outgunned and outmanned by the Oklahoma City Thunder in a 127-89 loss. Without Victor Wembanyama and most of his supporting cast, the Spurs simply didn’t have the talent to keep up with a Thunder squad that is fighting for a top seed in the Western Conference. It oddly mirrored the Spurs’ big win the night prior against the Memphis Grizzlies. A team that had enough key contributors stomped on a team missing them. It’s not so fun to be on the other end of it. The Thunder swallowed up the Spurs defensively, causing them to shoot 33.3% from the field and 22.5% from three. San Antonio turned the ball over 15 times, allowing 28 points off those turnovers. Meanwhile, OKC was red hot from three, hitting 42.1% of their deep shots. Of the fourteen Thunder players that logged minutes tonight, only four of them didn’t hit a three-point shot. It was an ugly game, but at least Spurs fans got to see some extended minutes from Sidy Cissoko and some of the other end-of-the-bench players for the Spurs. With nothing to play for but ping pong balls, San Antonio let some of their two-way players log big minutes, giving fans a look at some guys that have developed in Austin. Of all the two-way players, RaiQuan Gray looked the most impressive. His burly frame and shooting touch make him a unique player. He finished with 13 points and hit 3 deep shots. Plus, with the loss the Spurs find themselves back in the race for the bottom three records in the league. In a draft class filled with uncertainty, the higher the pick, the better. With Gregg Popovich noncommittal about Wembanyama playing again this season, there might be a couple more nights like this before the offseason. Takeaways: - Zach Collins had a solid game as the Spurs’ primary option. He was outplaying Chet Holmgren for most of the game. He finished with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. He also knocked down two of his five three-pointers. The big man was solid in the low post, getting several hook shots to fall over the physical Thunder defenders.
- Cissoko (or Cissokoo, as the Thunder broadcast crew called him) gave constant effort all game long. He’s a freak athlete and plays a physical brand of basketball. His cutting seems natural, making him an easy plug-and-play wing off the bench. The jump shot looks improved from last season with the G League Ignite. He knocked down his first NBA triple against OKC. This summer will be an important one for Cissoko. If he’s successful, a rotation spot could be waiting for him next season.
- I’ve long been impressed with Julian Champagnie’s on-ball defense. He did a pretty good job guarding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He was physical, bumping him off of his spots, and used his length to make the MVP candidate make tough shots. SGA still finished with 26 points, but Champagnie made it tough on him when guarding him 1-on-1.
- I would have liked to have seen a bit more of Jamaree Bouyea in this game. He’s been a lights-out scorer in the G League and has some real juice with the ball in his hands. If San Antonio is going to bottom out to end the year, they should give the young guard some run to see what he can do against NBA competition.
Source: https://www.poundingtherock.com/2024/4/ ... nyama-chet