The Spurs have pulled off an incredible upset as they eliminated the Thunder from the NBA Cup following a nervy 111-109 win down the stretch. This loss ended the Thunder’s 16-game win streak and fallen to 24-2 for the regular season.
San Antonio started tonight without Victor Wembanyama, who eventually came off the bench for the first time in his career. Yet, he was arguably their best player on the floor today, even after being on a minutes restriction.
They used nine players in rotation tonight. Let’s take a look at how each of these players performed to pull off this incredible victory for the Spurs.
Victor Wembanyama: A+
Game Stats: 22 PTS, 9 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 2 BLK, 6-11 FG, 1-1 3PT, 9-12 FTS, 21 MIN
Despite being on a minutes restriction for this game, Wembanyama made an instantaneous impact on the game after not playing the entire first quarter. The Spurs looked like a different team every time Wembanyama was on the floor.
With some intelligent plays in the clutch moments of the game and the highest net +/- rating (+21), Wembanyama made a strong case to be considered the best player for the Spurs in tonight’s game.
Devin Vassell: A
Game Stats: 23 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 6-13 FG, 4-9 3PT, 7-8 FTS, 32 MIN
The Spurs forward led all scorers on his team and nailed some crucial shots when San Antonio rallied back from an 11-point deficit following the first quarter. Devin Vassell scored nine of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to provide some clutch offense when the defense was focused on Wembanyama.
De’Aaron Fox: A
Game Stats: 22 PTS, 2 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 8-15 FG, 3-7 3PT, 3-4 FTS, 37 MIN
De’Aaron Fox has been Mr. Reliable for the Spurs recently and made some crucial and high basketball IQ plays tonight that also won’t show up on the highlight reel (like fouling Jalen Williams to force two free throws instead of the risk of a three-point shot when the Thunder had only seconds left and needed three points to tie the game) to smartly navigate a win for the Spurs.
He stuffed the box score and helped consistently on both ends of the floor while playing the most minutes for the Spurs tonight.
Stephon Castle: B+
Game Stats: 22 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 9-16 FG, 2-5 3PT, 2-2 FTS, 34 MIN
While he contributed equally on the offensive end as the other three players I listed above, Stephon Castle made some critical errors with bad passes and turnovers in the middle of the game that completely shifted the momentum at one point in the Thunder’s favor. As a result, he also ended with a negative +/- net rating (-7) and thus lost a few rating points for this game.
Harrison Barnes: B
Game Stats: 6 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL, 0 BLK, 2-10 FG, 0/8 3PT, 2-4 FTS, 27 MIN
As a starter tonight, Barnes had an off night on the offensive end of the floor but contributed significantly on defense. He also facilitated transition offense with his passes and used his veteran experience to help them steal this win down the stretch.
Dylan Harper: B-
Game Stats: 8 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 3-13 FG, 1-5 3PT, 1-2 FTS, 25 MIN
Dylan Harper struggled on the offensive end of the floor and made some Rookie mistakes like taking several ill-advised shots in the paint as well. Thus, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft did not have the best night against the Thunder.
Julian Champagnie: C
Game Stats: 3 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 1 BLK, 1-5 FG, 1-5 3PT, 0-0 FTS, 27 MIN
The Spurs’ sharpshooter forward struggled to find any rhythm on the offensive end of the floor and hit only one three-point shot in the game.
Luke Kornet: C
Game Stats: 2 PTS, 8 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 1-3 FG, 0-0 3PT, 0-0 FTS, 24 MIN
Started over Victor Wembanyama tonight, but failed to keep up with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein inside the paint.
Keldon Johnson: C-
Game Stats: 3 PTS, 6 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 1-4 FG, 1-2 3PT, 0-0 FTS, 14 MIN
The swingman did not contribute significantly on the floor with anything tonight. As a veteran, Keldon Johnson averages 12.7 points per game for the Spurs, scoring only three points in such a crucial game was most disappointing, but he only played for limited minutes.
His negative net rating (-18) also shows he was a liability on defense, allowing many more points scored than the ones he contributed in scoring. Therefore, he was arguably the worst player on the floor for the Spurs tonight.
