Oklahoma
San Antonio vs. Oklahoma City, Final Score: Spurs get scorched by SGA and Thunder’s hot shooting, 140-114
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 32 points, 10 assists, and two steals (his 32nd game of 30+ points this season) for the Oklahoma City Thunder in an overpowering win over the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs kept pace for the first half but got outscored 37-24 in the third quarter and never had the firepower to climb back.
The Thunder (31-13) remain atop the Western Conference and look to maintain their hot shooting the rest of the season. Aaron Wiggins helped out with 22 points off the bench. Chet Holmgren also chipped in 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists, a steal, and three blocks.
The Spurs (8-36) were led by Victor Wembanyama with 24 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, a steal and four blocks. Devin Vassell also put up 21 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and a block. As a team, the Spurs could not match the hot shooting of OKC from three (18-40) as they could only shoot 9-32 from three. Their defense got carved up inside and out, and could not get stops no matter if they were playing zone or man defense.
San Antonio has the Portland Trail Blazers coming into town Friday, January 26th at 8:30 P.M. (CST) on NBATV/Bally.
Observations:
- This is the second meeting between the Spurs and Thunder, and the second time Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren will go head-to-head. Last time on November 14th, 2023, both Wembanyama and Holmgren gave poor shooting performances. Wembanyama had eight points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks while shooting 4-15 from the field. Holmgren had nine points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block while shooting 3-10 from the field. Both rookies are fighting for Rookie of the Year and both look to make a statement tonight!
- Spurs are wearing their City Edition jerseys again. You love to see it!
- Tre Jones is out due to his ankle injury from the 76ers game the other night. Gregg Popovich elects to finally start Blake Wesley for the first time this season. Spurs fans are already in love with the defensive prowess he brings off the bench, and he looks to give Shai Gilgeous-Alexander some fits.
- Wembanyama strikes first for the Spurs by using a spin move on Holmgren. Thunder leads 5-2 early in the first quarter.
- At the first timeout break (6:49 left in the first), OKC leads 15-14 with exciting moments from Devin Vassell and Blake Wesley. Wesley looks aggressive on offense with a three-pointer and cutter to the basket. Devin had a slam on a fastbreak thanks to a Wesley feed!
- Wembanyama checks out of the game with 6:06 left in the first, Pop said his minutes’ restriction was raised to 30 minutes before the game.
- KELDON JOHNSON FASTBREAK SLAM ALERT! Spurs lead 20-19 with 4:04 left in the first.
- Spurs’ perimeter defense has been abysmal this season, and it showed its ugly head on OKC’s 11-0 run. Thunder lead 30-20 with 2:08 left in the first.
- At the end of the first quarter, OKC leads 35-28. Keldon had a nice and-one finish and Wesley locked down SGA on the last possession to close out the quarter! Both Wembanyama and Holmgren have seven points on 3-3 shooting. Safe to say more points are coming for both rookies for the rest of the game.
- OKC cannot seem to miss a jumper no matter the shooter. They open the second quarter on a 7-0 run and lead 42-28 with 9:50 left. Spurs cannot be content with one-and-done possessions on the offensive end.
- Cedi Osman ends the Thunder’s 11-0 run with a nice and-one.
- WEMBY’s BLOCK PARTY: Wembanyama swats Holmgren from behind for this third block of the game!
- Devin finds a sealing Wembanyama from the other side of the court, and Wembanyama finishes the play with a tough basket over Holmgren. OKC leads 47-35 with 7:00 left.
- Pop winning a Coach’s challenge in the first half? 12-0 run incoming.
- Again, in case you did not know, OKC has shooters. They’re shooting 10-17 from THREE while the Spurs are shooting 1-10 from three. The only offense that is working for San Antonio seems to be attacking the paint.
- Spurs run the floppy action to perfection and Doug McDermott knocks down the open three.
- You’ve got to love Malaki Branham staying active in the passing lane on defense. He stole the ball off of a bad Josh Giddey pass and got to the free-throw line. Speaking of Giddey, he is being booed every time he touches the ball.
- Jeremy Sochan goes for the poster on Holmgren and proceeds to knee him in the groin… Ouch!
- At the end of the first half, OKC leads 63-52. In the battle of the rookies, Wembanyama leads the Spurs with 13 points and three blocks. Holmgren has seven points and also has three blocks. If you’re looking for a way for the Spurs to get back in this game, they need to continue to take advantage of the lack of rebounding from OKC and they need to limit OKC’s flamethrower shooting from three (11-22). Also, it wouldn’t hurt to keep the ball moving to increase spacing for more three-point opportunities.
- SGA is tearing up the Spurs inside and out.
- WEMBY’S BLOCK PARTY: Wembanyama just snatched that shot attempt by Giddey for his 5th block!
- Sochan’s foul on Holmgren just ruined another block party highlight by Wembanyama. That would have been all over ESPN’s social media channels. Thunder lead 83-70 with 4:20 left in the third.
- The Spurs offense has gone cold since Wembanyama left the floor. Tre Jones being out hurts this team’s ball movement. Thunder leads 91-72 with 2:44 left.
- This entire third quarter is reminding Spurs fans of the dreaded early season third-quarter meltdowns. The Interior defense is failing again. SGA already has 32 points.
- At the end of the third, OKC leads 100-76. Zach Collins ended the quarter with a nice runner off the glass. OKC outscored SA 37-24 in the quarter, with most of their points coming SGA having a 16-point quarter.
- WEMBY SLAM! Victor battled Holmgren to the hole and threw it down! Hopefully, that sparks a comeback.
- Oh my…. if Wembanyama postered Holmgren right there…
- This Thunder team has outclassed the Spurs when it comes to talent and shooting in every position except center and maybe shooting guard. OKC leads 118-90 with 6:47 left.
- Wow. Popovich and Mark Daigneault took Wembanyama and Holmgren out of the game with six minutes to go. Blowout mode is engaged.
- One excruciatingly painful thing to point out in this game is that Chip Engelland (OKC’s shooting coach) was the Spurs’ shooting coach for 17 years. The shooting fans have seen tonight from OKC’s starters and especially their bench is a testament to him. One can only imagine Engelland working with Sochan’s shooting form.
- Devonte Graham and Sandro Mamukelashvilli sighting!
NORMAN — The Sooners were behind the eight ball for much of Tuesday’s game against Oral Roberts.
But one swing of the bat got them in a more favorable position.
Shortstop Jaxon Willits blasted a grand slam in the sixth inning to give No. 14 Oklahoma its first lead before eventually winning 7-6.
The Sooners trailed by as many as five runs before they rallied late.
In the first inning, Oral Roberts’ Cooper Combs hit a two-out grand slam to give the Golden Eagles a comfortable cushion. OU infielder Deiten Lachance got the Sooners on the board in the second inning with a solo home run, but ORU responded with a solo shot of its own in the next frame.
The Golden Eagles made it a 6-1 run game in the top of the fourth, and they appeared to be on cruise control. But in the bottom of that frame, OU’s rally began.
Dasan Harris made it a four-run game again with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth before Camden Johnson hit a sacrifice fly of his own in the fifth.
Then, in the sixth, the Sooners took their first lead of the game.
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Harris singled before Kyle Branch and Connor Larkin walked to load the bases. Willits then swung at the first pitch he saw, sending it well over the right-center field fence.
Neither team scored after Willits’ home run, as OU relief pitcher Xander Mercurius retired nine ORU batters in a row to seal the Sooners’ one-run win.
Michael Catalano started on the mound for Oklahoma, but his outing was short-lived — he gave up four earned runs on two hits and five walks in 1 ⅓ innings.
After coach Skip Johnson relieved Catalano in the second inning, six different OU arms entered the game. Reid Hensley collected the win, while Mercurius got the save.
OU improved to 28-12 overall with the win, while Oral Roberts dropped to 23-15. The Sooners are 7-3 in midweek games this season, and they clinched the season sweep of the Golden Eagles on Tuesday.
Next, the Sooners will hit the road for a three-game series against Auburn. The Tigers, ranked No. 11 by D1Baseball, are 10-8 in SEC play and took two of three games against Florida over the weekend.
The series will open on Friday, and first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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NORMAN — After an up-and down week that saw Oklahoma drop the lone Bedlam match of the season, and then split two tight games with Arkansas before blowing out the Razorbacks on Sunday, the Sooners remained No. 1 in the NFCA/Go Rout coaches’ poll released Tuesday.
But there’s far from a consensus.
Oklahoma received 12 first-place votes — the same total they had last week — but five other teams received first-place votes.
Texas Tech remained No. 2 with four four-place votes and Alabama No. 3 with seven. Nebraska moved up two spots to No. 4 with four first-place votes, followed by Florida with two and UCLA with two.
Texas is No. 7, followed by Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida State.
Texas A&M, the Sooners’ opponent for the final regular-season weekend in two weeks, comes in at No. 11.
Other SEC teams include Georgia at No. 15, Mississippi State at No. 17 and LSU at No. 20.
OU hosts the Georgia Bulldogs in a three-game series beginning Friday.
Other Sooners’ opponents this season in the polls include No. 14 Duke, No. 18 Oklahoma State, No. 19 Arizona, No. 24 Arizona State and No. 25 Washington.
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Oklahoma also remained in the top spot in the D1Softball poll, with Alabama No. 2 there followed by Texas Tech, Nebraska at Texas.
The Sooners dropped a spot in the Softball America poll, with Nebraska elevating to No. 1 behind the two-way stardom of former OU standout Jordy Frahm (formerly Jordy Bahl).
Frahm is 13-4 with a 1.36 ERA and 157 strikeouts in 118 2/3 innings in the circle and hitting .440 with 16 home runs and 42 RBIs. Another former Sooners player, Hannah Coor, is among the Cornhuskers’ regulars as well.
The Sooners have 158 home runs, just three away from tying their own season record in the category, but UCLA has closed the gap in a major way, sitting just four behind Oklahoma.
OU freshman sensation Kendall Wells leads the nation with 34 home runs, three ahead of UCLA’s Megan Grant. Wells tied Jocelyn Alo‘s program record for home runs in a season with her home run in Sunday’s win.
The Sooners host Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 6 p.m. Tuesday in their final non-conference game of the season before opening the series against Georgia at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Love’s FIeld.
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Putnam City West High School will shift to virtual learning on Tuesday after an incident involving two students prompted an investigation by the district and Oklahoma City police, according to Putnam City Schools.
District officials said administrators were alerted near the end of the school day Monday to an altercation involving two students in the school’s arena area.
Officials said the students left campus, and the case was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for investigation.
District officials said no students or staff were harmed and there is no ongoing safety threat related to the incident.
What we know
Putnam City West sent the following email to all families and staff at the school:
All PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st.
Today, an isolated serious incident involving two students occurred on school grounds. Near the end of the school day, administrators were alerted to an altercation between two students in the arena area. The individuals involved quickly left campus, prompting an initial fact-finding response by school administrators before the matter was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for further investigation. Because this is an active investigation involving students, no further information will be released at this time.
We understand this information may be concerning to students, staff, and families. Please know we are committed to maintaining a safe, secure, and positive learning environment for all students. At Putnam City Schools, student and staff safety remains our highest priority. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution and to allow for a thorough investigation, all PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st. Students will need to check Google Classroom for updates from teachers.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support of PC West.
Putnam City Schools
All students and staff at Putnam City West will transition to virtual learning on Tuesday, April 21, while investigators continue their work, according to the district.
Students were told to check Google Classroom for instructions from teachers.
The district said it is withholding additional details because the case involves students and remains under investigation.
School officials have not said what triggered the incident or whether any arrests have been made.
This is a developing story. Updates will be added as more information becomes available.
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