Oklahoma City continued its winning ways on Sunday night, putting up a commanding 146-132 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. The offense was firing on all cylinders, led by a career-high 41 points from Jalen Williams and another strong performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who dropped 31 points.
But the biggest moment of the night wasn’t a three-pointer or a flashy dunk-it was a third-quarter fight that got three players tossed and had both teams rushing to break things up.
A simple play turns heated
With just under three minutes left in the third, Kenrich Williams and Julian Champagnie were battling on the perimeter when Champagnie’s elbow caught Williams in the jaw. As the play continued, Williams and Champagnie exchanged shoves near the scorer’s table, drawing immediate attention from the refs.
Before officials could step in, Thunder’s Lu Dort and Spurs’ Jeremy Sochan found themselves tangled up in the commotion. Within seconds, teammates, security, and coaches were scrambling to separate the players, turning a minor confrontation into a full-blown pileup.
After reviewing the altercation, referees hit Williams, Champagnie, and Dort with double technicals and sent them to the locker room early. Sochan, who was heavily involved but kept his cool just enough to avoid an ejection, later called it a “playful scuffle” but admitted things got a little out of hand.
Thunder stay composed and take over late
Despite losing key players, Oklahoma City never lost focus. They came out of the break firing, outscoring San Antonio 36-23 in the third quarter and stretching their lead beyond 20 points in the fourth.
Cason Wallace added 19 points, while Aaron Wiggins chipped in 17, helping the Thunder secure their third straight win. Meanwhile, the Spurs, despite a standout 32-point performance from rookie Stephon Castle, couldn’t keep up down the stretch.
Postgame fallout: Frustrations with officiating
After the game, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault acknowledged his team’s frustration, particularly when it comes to foul calls. “We retaliated tonight,”Daigneault said.“We’ve done a great job of keeping our composure, but there’s a cumulative effect when you feel like you’re constantly on the wrong end of the whistle.”
The ejections may have made headlines, but the real story for Oklahoma City is their continued momentum. The Thunder have now won three in a row and will look to keep the streak alive when they take on the Brooklyn Nets next. As for the Spurs, they’ll need to shake off this loss and focus on regaining consistency as they fight through a tough stretch of the season.
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