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The San Antonio Spurs have been pushed by the defending champions to the edge of elimination, and will now return to Frost Bank Center, trying to hold it off on Thursday. They didn’t get enough from Victor Wembanyama who only scored 20 points on 26.7 percent shooting, with seven rebounds, and De’Aaron Fox had nine points on the same efficiency, plus the team eventually started gambling too much on defense.
They were working too hard while the Thunder played more forcefully, and their ball movement plus dribble penetration exposed more openings. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the best player, and seized the day with a masterful performance while his team was without significant firepower.
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Observations
The pressure in the first quarter was unforgiving, but they loosened up, and while it wasn’t terrible, it allowed enough breathing room for SGA and Jared McCain (in the third) to get hot. The team subsequently got back to its ways at times, when they weren’t fouling, but Stephon Castle and Keldon Johnson picked up their fifth fouls early in the fourth, which gravely affected coverages. Notably, coach Mitch Johnson kept K. Johnson in after his.
The second quarter was rough since Alex Caruso got MVP chants, and they allowed too many free throw attempts, which cut the flow of their offense and they had to play too much in the half-court after scoring a good chunk in transition in the first. They had a brief spurt of success, going on a 9-0 run that included K. Johnson powering through Holmgren at the rim, yet couldn’t sustain it because of more fouls and went to halftime down 11 points.
Carter Bryant hustles like the rent is due at midnight, but he can be his own worst enemy by trying to do too much on defense. He committed a foolish foul on SGA, putting him on the line after giving up a 3-pointer. He wasn’t in control and that’s why he played fewer than three minutes before garbage time.
Julian Champagnie had the hot hand in the first quarter, scoring 13 of the team’s 27 points, and he helped the them get over multiple droughts. His most impressive move was driving against Holmgren and…
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Publish date : 2026-05-27 03:24:00
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