Photo by Reginald Thomas II
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — San Antonio’s second-half rally couldn’t undo a costly opening half Tuesday night, as the Spurs dropped their season opener 116–104 to Oklahoma City in a Western Conference finals rematch. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 32 points, while Jared McCain added 20 off six three-pointers.
The Spurs trailed 34–28 after one quarter before the game unraveled in the second. De’Aaron Fox’s hard foul on Chet Holmgren sparked a confrontation that resulted in a flagrant-one assessment against Fox and four technical fouls. San Antonio struggled to regain its footing, falling behind by as many as 26. The Spurs shot 14-for-48 before halftime, while Oklahoma City made 10 of its 14 three-point attempts.
Asked afterward about starting De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper together, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson put the responsibility on the entire group.
“However many guards we played, they all struggled tonight,” Johnson said. “It was a pretty well-rounded poor effort by all of us.”
That same guard trio helped San Antonio respond after halftime. The Spurs opened the third quarter with nine unanswered points, with Fox attacking the paint and Castle connecting from outside. Victor Wembanyama’s first field goal finally came at the third-quarter buzzer, but San Antonio still entered the fourth trailing by 13.
Castle’s three-pointer with 4:18 remaining cut the deficit to seven, giving the Spurs one more opportunity. Oklahoma City answered down the stretch to preserve the victory.
Castle finished with a team-high 24 points, Harper added 18 and Fox scored 14. Wembanyama contributed 12 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks but finished just 1-for-13 from the field. San Antonio’s second-half response made the game competitive again, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome.