Field Level Media
Dec 27, 2022
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points and Mike Muscala added 19 off the bench as the Oklahoma City Thunder earned a 130-114 victory over the visiting San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday to complete the longest homestand in franchise history.
Jalen Williams added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Thunder, who have sparked a mini revival by going 4-3 during the run of home games with all three defeats coming by one possession. The bench scored 68 points, the second most during a game in Oklahoma City history.
Devin Vassell scored 20 points for the Spurs and Keldon Johnson added 19 as San Antonio lost for the fifth time in its past seven games. The Spurs were playing for the second time in two nights after earning a victory over the Utah Jazz at home Monday.
San Antonio played a majority of the game without head coach Gregg Popovich, who was ejected less than a minute into the second quarter when he was assessed two quick technical fouls after engaging with game officials.
The Thunder led by as many as 11 points in the first half before taking a 70-60 lead at the break after shooting 53.5 percent from the field in the opening two quarters. But the Spurs closed the gap and trailed 95-93 heading into the fourth quarter.
A 14-3 spurt less than 3 1/2 minutes into the final period gave the Thunder a 109-96 lead, their largest of the game to that point.
Gilgeous-Alexander had eight assists and four blocked shots while not taking a 3-point attempt for just the third game this season. Gilgeous-Alexander also made 10 of his 11 free-throw attempts.
Oklahoma City had three players score in double figures off the bench, including Tre Mann with 17 points and Aaron Wiggins with 12.
The Thunder's Aleksej Pokusevski left less than two minutes into the game with a left leg injury and did not return.
Jeremy Sochan scored 16 points and Tre Jones added 14 for the Spurs.
--Field Level Media