San Antonio at Oklahoma City, final score: Spurs survive thunder in critical time, 112-102

The San Antonio Spurs ran along a close game, beating the Thunder, 112-102, and returning to the AT&T center with a winning record after a grueling five-game road trip in the Western Conference.

Lonnie Walker IV led the Silver and Black with a record 24 points on 7 of 15 shots while recording three boards, two assists and one block. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander paced Oklahoma City with 20 points and nine rebounds.

Observations

• LaMarcus Aldridge needed just five points to pass Hall of Famer John Stockton for 47th on the all-time scorecard, and he broke that mark in just the first quarter. The fifteen-year veteran is now 280 points away from becoming the 47th player in NBA history to score 20,000 points. Aldridge will join George Gervin, Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Pau Gasol and Dominique Wilkins as the sixth player to reach this career mark in franchise history.
• Jakob Poeltl was on a seven-game dry spell without a block when the night started, the longest stretch of his five-year NBA career. And while the Austrian center is unlike him this season, it was nice to see him hit twice in a Spurs win. Hopefully this is a turning point for the recent signatory to the contract extension.
• Lonnie Walker IV has more than 20 points in consecutive games for the first time in his NBA career. The third-year swingman showed his scoring potential on three levels, attacking the rim, hitting the line, coming up from midrange and knocking down shots from beyond the arc. The two top-flight guards ended the night with a record 24 points, and Spurs fans won’t be complaining if this becomes the new normal.
• Patty Mills climbed to 90th place in three points in NBA history, tying former All-Star Mo Williams on a handsome line who found only the back of the net midway through the third quarter. His downtown 3-out-of-10 line will knock him down by a few points on the efficiency standings, although that probably won’t bother Patty after San Antonio left with the voiceover.
• Rudy Gay almost always seems to shoot better with a draped defender, and that’s honestly one of the most frustrating things to see when tuning a Spurs game. I was wondering if I was going crazy, so I delved into the official NBA site at halftime, and of course the stats back up my theory. As wacky as it sounds, the combo-forward shoots over ten percentage points worse on wide open shots (defender over ten feet) than on hotly contested attempts (defender within two feet).
• Popovich and company prospered in the second quarter, edging their opponent by 3.5 points on average (6th in the NBA). They continued that trend, outdoing the Thunder and opening an eight-point cushion before half-time. Thankfully, San Antonio didn’t follow their tendency to do a full 180 in the third quarter. Spurs have the third worst margin in the league’s third quarter (-4.0 points), and Oklahoma City only reduced the deficit to seven points at the start of the final phase.
• Dejounte Murray appeared to have turned a corner after finishing around the rim at an elite pace at the start of the season. However, old demons have haunted the fourth-year general during his recent outings, and he has had no success in painting against the Thunder. He looked shy to attack the inside, and by the time he did, his frustrations boiled over, resulting in a technical foul on the part of the referees. The former Washington recuperated from the offensive possession that followed, but never legitimately built lasting momentum.
• Aleksej Pokusevski has a rare combination of fluency and skill, someone of his stature, and these are just a few of the many reasons I had him ranked ninth best prospect on my 2020 Big Board. I also said that the 19-year-old was a few years away from being ready for the NBA, although Oklahoma City apparently think throwing him in the fire is the best approach for his development track. And as its potential shooting and gaming flashes appear on tape, this 195-pound frame stands out as a sore thumb for the inexperienced seven-footer.
• The Thunder led the NBA in three attempted runs per game, and San Antonio allowed the league’s highest three-point percentage in that contest. It looked like the perfect storm for Oklahoma City to have a blast beyond the arc, but Spurs locked the perimeter from start to finish. Their opponent managed just 26 outside shots and knocked down just seven. The performance was an encouraging step in the right direction for a previously fragile three-point defense.
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the grooviest players in the league, and his clever use of angles and god-given length are a pleasure to watch. While the third-year goalie racked up points with an array of arrhythmic, unbalanced and ill-founded finishes, Spurs put on him in the second half. A little part of me wishes he had a louder outing at San Antonio’s expense, but nothing makes me happier than a Silver and Black victory.
• Dan Weiss took the time to mention that tonight was just the 30th NBA appearance for Keldon Johnson, which is remarkable given the confidence and poise that the sophomore winger exudes every night. . Keldon is far from perfect, and he made rookie mistakes on both sides, although it was nearly impossible to stop once he entered the downhill. His 18 points and seven rebounds were the second highest on the team, and his tireless engine remains one of the most entertaining aspects of this Spurs team.

For the perspective of Thunder fans, visit Welcome to Loud City.

The San Antonio Spurs will finally return to the AT&T Center after a five-game road trip as they host interstate rival Houston Rockets on Thursday night.