Victor Wembanyama dominates and other takeaways from Thunder’s loss to Spurs

What happens when the Thunder’s shots do not fall?

It is hard to win games when your shots do not fall. 

The OKC Thunder made only five baskets in the fourth quarter, while the San Antonio Spurs nailed 10 of theirs for a 34-point finish. The Spurs shot 54 percent from the court, while the Thunder only shot 49 percent overall. 

Oklahoma City indeed came out cold in numerous stretches, and it doomed them against the Spurs. 

The result was uncharacteristic of how they shot the ball throughout the season. Before the game, the Thunder were the league leaders in the true shooting percentage and second-best in effective field goal shooting — two of the best advanced shooting statistics in the league. 

Starters Josh Giddey and Lu Dort were particularly cold in the loss, combining for a 1-of-9 shooting from the three-point area. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren also struggled from deep, with only two threes in nine attempts.

Overall, the Thunder only made nine threes on 31 attempts. 

On these kinds of nights, the Thunder had to find offense on other avenues, such as through transition or on drives and paint touches. The defense should also be paramount to offset the cold-shooting nights. 

Rough stretches come and go. Most of the time, for successful teams, it is just a matter of weathering them.