Spurs’ Turnover Troubles
The Spurs lost back-to-back games for the first time since January. While San Antonio managed to clean up its turnover issues from earlier in the series, it couldn’t hold on as Oklahoma City’s reserves dominated. The Thunder’s bench outscored the Spurs 76-23 compared to their own 41-point total.
De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper returned to help Stephon Castle with ballhandling duties, but even with them back, the Spurs couldn’t maintain their early momentum. Castle’s 20 turnovers in Games 1 and 2 were a stark contrast to his improved performance in Game 3, where he contributed significantly with four points and a steal.
Wembanyama’s Off-Offense Impact
The Spurs’ struggles became more apparent when Wembanyama left the court. San Antonio outscored Oklahoma City 26-11 in the first quarter while he was on the floor, but when he subbed out, the Thunder outscored them 15-5.
Wembanyama admitted that each and every player needs to improve: “I feel like each and every one of us got to be better. It’s just that as a team, as an organization, there’s a lot of new experiences.” Despite the tough loss, Wembanyama stayed optimistic about their journey: “Of course, there was going to be hard trials.
That’s to be expected. But now we’re going to see what we’re made of.”
With San Antonio trailing 2-1 in the series, Wembanyama and his teammates face a critical challenge as they prepare for Game 4. The Thunder have seized momentum, but the Spurs still hold their own hopes.
