San Antonio Spurs Hoping to Get Back in Win Column

San Antonio suffered a fifth straight loss as they were knocked off at home by Miami in their previous contest Sunday night. The Spurs dropped to 3-7 on the season and stand fourth in the Southwest Division, five games behind the Mavericks for the top spot. Against Miami, San Antonio led by as many as 16 in the opening quarter and by 14 after one quarter. The Spurs led by as many as 18 in the second quarter only to see their lead trimmed to three at halftime. San Antonio led by 12 with 9:10 remaining in the game and by 10 with 6:46 to go before getting outscored 25-10 the rest of the way to take the loss. The Spurs shot 46.2% from the field, including 19 of 44 from three-point range, and won the rebounding battle 50-41 in the loss. Keldon Johnson led San Antonio with 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in the loss.

For the year, the Spurs are 15^th in the league in scoring offense as they average 113 points per game on the year. San Antonio is 25^th in rebounding by grabbing 41.9 boards a night while they are second in the league in assists by handing out 29.9 dimes per contest. The Spurs are 30^th in the league in scoring defense as they give up an average of 124.2 points per game. Rookie Victor Wembanyama leads the team with 19.7 points plus 8.8 rebounds this season. Keldon Johnson is third on the team with 15.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game this season. Devin Vassell (18 points), Zach Collins (14 points, six rebounds) and Jeremy Sochan (10.5 points, 5.4 boards, 4.5 assists) are solid secondary scoring options. Tre Jones, Cedi Osman, Doug McDermott, Charles Bassey and Blake Wesley are other rotation pieces for coach Gregg Popovich. San Antonio is 13^th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 47.3% from the floor on the year. The Spurs are 14^th in threes per game as they connect on 12.5 triples a night while they are 18^th in three-point percentage by shooting 35.3% from beyond the arc.

Oklahoma City Thunder Seeking Back-to-Back Wins

Oklahoma City went on the road and took down Phoenix Sunday afternoon in their previous contest for their third win in four games. The Thunder entered Monday 6-4 on the season and stood third in the Northwest Division, two games behind the Nuggets for the top spot. Against Phoenix, Oklahoma City led 9-2 early only to find the game even after the opening quarter. The Thunder trailed by five at the half, by eight in the third quarter and by six after three quarters before regrouping. Oklahoma City outscored Phoenix 31-13 in the fourth quarter, including a 17-4 burst over the final 6:10, to earn the win. The Thunder shot 48.8% from the field, including 10 of 27 from three-point range, and held the Suns to 38.6% shooting to offset a 51-33 beating on the glass. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 35 points in the win.

This season, the Thunder are 8^th in the league in scoring offense as they average 115.9 points per game on the year. Oklahoma City is 28^th in rebounding with 40.5 boards per contest while they are 25^th in assists with 23.9 dimes a night. The Thunder are 19^th in the league in scoring defense as they allow an average of 114.1 points a night. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the team with 29.4 points, seven rebounds and 6.1 assists per contest. Luguentz Dort is the most reliable secondary scoring option with 13.8 points per game. The Thunder look to Josh Giddey (12 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists), Chet Holmgren (16.4 points, 7.6 rebounds), Cason Wallace and Tre Mann as other secondary scoring options. Aleksej Pokusevski, Jalen Williams (17.9 points), Ousmane Dieng, Kenrich Williams, Davis Bertans and Aaron Wiggins have to be contributors if they hope to have success. Oklahoma City is 4^th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 49% from the floor as a team on the year. The Thunder are 20^th by hitting 11.6 threes per game and 4^th in three-point shooting by hitting 37.5% of their attempts from beyond the arc.