Thunder 116-104 Spurs: 44:12 in front, a 26-point lead and no way back

Highlights

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Forty-four minutes and twelve seconds. That is how long Oklahoma City spent in front at Frost Bank Center, against 2:47 of lead time for San Antonio. The final read 104-116, the Thunder's biggest lead was 26 points, and the Spurs never led by more than three. A 12-point margin that never described the game.

Oklahoma City took the opening quarter 34-28 and buried the second 31-16. The Thunder's longest run reached 13 straight points; San Antonio's best answer was nine, and the Spurs' largest lead of the entire night was three. The third quarter flipped the tone — 36-28 to the hosts — yet the gap stayed in double figures, and the fourth ran 24-23. Stephon Castle's three made it 100-112 late; Ajay Mitchell restored order at 100-114, David Jones added two from the line, Aday Mara pushed it to 102-116, and JaKobi Gillespie's bucket wrote the final score.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander set the terms: 32 points on 48% shooting, six rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks, finishing plus-six. Chet Holmgren's 14 points came with four blocks. San Antonio's guards kept swinging — Castle 24 points and seven rebounds, Dylan Harper 18 with five assists, De'Aaron Fox 14 points on 67% shooting and seven assists — but Victor Wembanyama's line was the strangest of the night: 13 rebounds, six blocks, 12 points on a single made field goal, 8% shooting.

Everywhere else, the details wore Oklahoma City's colors: 24 assists to 21, eight steals to six, 11 turnovers to 13. San Antonio won the blocks battle 11-10 and still walked off 12 down. The glass was a draw; the game was not.