SAN ANTONIO — Jalen Williams notched a career-best 41 points, partnering with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 146-132 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night. This win marred the Spurs’ return home following a significant road journey.
With this triumph, Oklahoma City improved its record to 49-11, closing in on Cleveland (50-10) in the race for the top NBA record. Meanwhile, rookie guard Stephon Castle topped the scoreboard for San Antonio with 32 points in a game that marked their fifth loss in six outings.
The Spurs’ recent road trip from the Frost Bank Center was eventful; they acquired De’Aaron Fox, bid farewell to All-Star center Victor Wembanyama due to a season-ending shoulder injury, and saw Gregg Popovich announce he would not continue as head coach for the remainder of the season.
Despite their decline, San Antonio fought hard against Oklahoma City, culminating in a skirmish involving Kenrich Williams and Lu Dort of the Thunder, along with the Spurs’ Julian Champagnie. With three minutes to the end of the third quarter, Williams winced in pain after an encounter with Champagnie’s elbows during a pass. As Castle received the ball and assisted Jeremy Sochan for a dunk, Williams retaliated on Champagnie’s jersey, causing a physical altercation. The benches cleared as Dort held onto Sochan’s jersey amidst efforts by staff and security to break up the scuffle.
Though Williams, Dort, and Champagnie were ejected, Sochan, assessed a technical foul, was permitted to continue and ended with 17 points, while Fox contributed 20 points.
**Takeaways**
Thunder: Isaiah Hartenstein delivered a strong performance for Oklahoma City with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists over 29 minutes.
Spurs: Castle’s performance puts him among only a few Spurs rookies ever to secure multiple 30-point games.
**Key Moment**
The Thunder seized momentum at the start of the second half, executing a 13-4 run. Despite setting a new franchise high with 16 three-pointers in the first half, the Spurs failed to convert any of their eight long-range attempts in the third quarter.
**Key Stat**
San Antonio’s 16 three-pointers in the opening half were just two short of matching the NBA record for threes in a single half.
**Up Next**
Oklahoma City will host Houston on Monday night, while San Antonio prepares to face Brooklyn on Tuesday night.
