Wembanyama's return lifts Spurs to NBA Cup final, handing Thunder just 2nd loss

Audio By Carbonatix

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Victor Wembanyama returned from a 12-game absence with 22 points and nine rebounds, giving San Antonio a surge and the Oklahoma City Thunder just its second loss with the 111-109 victory Saturday night putting the Spurs in the NBA Cup final.

The Spurs play the New York Knicks in Tuesday night's final.

Oklahoma City's last defeat was Nov. 5 at Portland, and the Thunder carried a 16-game winning streak into this game. They now are 24-2, the second-best start behind only the 25-1 record by Golden State in 2015-16.

This is the Thunder's second loss in a row in Las Vegas. They also lost last year’s final to Milwaukee 97-81.

Wembanyama, who received “M-V-P” chants from the pro-Spurs crowd, had a plus-21 rating in 21 minutes. Teammate Devin Vassell scored 23 points and De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle each scored 22.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 29 points, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams each totaled 17.

Wembanyama had been out because of a strained left calf, though the Spurs went 9-3 in his absence. He was placed on a minutes restriction against the Thunder, but that didn't limit his impact.

Wembanyama, who entered the game averaging 26.2 points and 12.9 rebounds, gave the Spurs an immediate boost and sent a surge into the crowd. Fans began to roar when he removed his sweatpants before the second quarter, and Wembanyama had a plus-20 rating in just seven minutes even with his team trailing by three points at halftime.

But San Antonio ended the first half with a 13-point run to make it a contest. The Spurs used a 10-point run in the third quarter to go up 62-56 and set the stage for a tense fourth period.

Spurs: Play the Knicks on Tuesday night in the NBA Cup final.

Thunder: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA