LAS VEGAS — Victor Wembanyama returned from a 12-game absence and finished with 22 points and nine rebounds as San Antonio handed the Oklahoma City Thunder just their second loss with the 111-109 victory Saturday night, putting the Spurs in the NBA Cup final.
The Spurs will 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 are 24-2, the second-best start behind the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who began the season 25-1.
This is the Thunder’s second loss in a row in Las Vegas. They also lost last year’s final to Milwaukee 97-81.
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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 played in his first game since suffering 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 Wembanyama was plus-20 in just seven first-half minutes, but the Spurs trailed by three points at halftime.
San Antonio ended the first half with a 13-point run to cut its deficit. The Spurs went on a 10-0 run in the third to go up 62-56 and set the stage for a tense fourth quarter.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
