Gilgeous-Alexander scores 26 as Thunder roll past Wembanyama-less Spurs, 127-89

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 26 points in 26 minutes, and the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled past the Victor Wembanyama-less San Antonio Spurs 127-89 on Wednesday night.

Josh Giddey had 20 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists and Gordon Hayward added 18 points for the Thunder, who won their third straight and improved to 55-25 overall.

Zach Collins had 20 points and seven rebounds for the Spurs.

Wembanyama, one of the league's rising stars as a rookie, was out with an injured right ankle. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he was sitting Wembanyama because it was the second game of a back-to-back set and he was looking out for his star's long-term health. Popovich said before the game that the 20-year-old Wembanyama was not happy about being told to sit out.

San Antonio’s No. 2 scorer, Devin Vassell, was out with a foot injury, No. 3 scorer Keldon Johnson was out with a sprained left foot and No. 4 scorer Jeremy Sochan missed the game with a left ankle issue.

The Thunder entered the night just one game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves in the race for the best record in the Western Conference with three games remaining, so they weren't in position to take the struggling Spurs lightly.

Oklahoma City ran out to an 11-0 lead as the Spurs missed their first seven shots and didn’t score for more than three minutes to begin the game. The Thunder led 34-11 at the end of the first quarter. It was the fewest points Oklahoma City has allowed in any quarter this season.

Oklahoma City led 68-35 at halftime. The Thunder held San Antonio to 28.6% shooting and scored 22 points off San Antonio's 10 turnovers before the break. Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey each scored 18 points in the first half. It was a season low in points allowed for the Thunder in a half this season.

UP NEXT

Spurs: Host the Denver Nuggets on Friday.

Thunder: Host the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.

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