By beating the Thunder to everyone's surprise last night, the Spurs – deprived of Victor Wembanyama – unlocked their counter in the NBA Cup. They were one of two teams (with Memphis) never to have won in this new competition.
“We want to go to Vegas!”
After the Spurs' big victory over Oklahoma City on Tuesday night, interior Zach Collins couldn't hide his excitement. And for good reason: not only did San Antonio beat the best team in the West without Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell, but the Texans finally won an NBA Cup game.
The Spurs lost all of their four NBA Cup matches last year, during the first edition. And they also lost in the first game this year, against the Lakers.
The triple take: Spurs 110, Thunder 104
1. The Spurs didn’t have to do everything perfectly to claim their first NBA Cup win
2. Steph Castle just keeps on coming
3. Eleven months after ACL surgery, Charles Bassey has his bounce back
https://t.co/LdOUY98vrg via @expressnews
— Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) https://twitter.com/JMcDonald_SAEN/status/1859134330129260584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The Spurs can especially say thank you to Keldon Johnson, who dunked all over Oklahoma while finishing with 22 points on the clock coming off the bench. Above all, they can say thank you to their collective, since seven players finished with at least 10 points on the stats sheet (including 20 for Harrison Barnes).
With a 1-1 record in the NBA Cup, the Spurs can still believe in the Final Four in Las Vegas, even if the Lakers and the overall level of their group (Lakers, Thunder, Suns) risk blocking their path quite quickly. San Antonio should not crash during the next NBA Cup match against Utah next Tuesday.
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Source text: San Antonio Express-News
