NBA: Spurs smother Thunder for third time in 13 days

De’Aaron Fox scored a game-high 29 points as the visiting San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-102, handing the Thunder their first back-to-back losses of the season.

San Antonio has now won eight consecutive games — not including their NBA Cup final loss to the New York Knicks on Dec. 16 — marking their longest winning streak since 2018-19. Three of Oklahoma City’s five defeats this season, including both of their last two, have come at the hands of the Spurs.

Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, coming off the bench for the sixth straight game since missing nearly a month due to a calf injury, recorded 19 points and 11 rebounds in almost 26 minutes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 22 points but shot just 7-for-19 from the field, including 1-for-6 from three-point range. Isaiah Hartenstein added 13 points and 12 rebounds, while no other Thunder player scored more than 12.

Knicks 126, Cavaliers 124

Jalen Brunson hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:05 remaining as New York overcame a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Cleveland.

Brunson scored 13 of his 34 points in the final 7:15 for the Knicks, marking the team’s largest comeback of the season. Reserves Jordan Clarkson (25 points) and Tyler Kolek (16 points, nine assists) delivered strong performances, while Karl-Anthony Towns posted a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 34 points, but Cleveland squandered double-digit leads twice and suffered its first loss this season when leading after three quarters. Darius Garland contributed 20 points and 10 assists.

Warriors 126, Mavericks 116

Stephen Curry lost a personal scoring duel to Cooper Flagg in their first head-to-head matchup, but teamed with Gary Payton II to stop a late Dallas rally as Golden State held on in San Francisco.

Curry led the Warriors with 23 points in their 13th consecutive Christmas Day appearance. After the Mavericks closed to 110-104 with 4:28 remaining, Payton converted a Draymond Green assist into a momentum-shifting dunk, followed by Curry hitting a 26-foot jumper to push Golden State’s lead back to double digits.

Flagg scored a game-high 27 points and Brandon Williams added 26 for Dallas, who lost Anthony Davis early to right groin spasms in the second quarter. Davis finished with three points, three rebounds, and two blocks in 11 minutes.

Rockets 119, Lakers 96

Amen Thompson led all scorers with 26 points while Kevin Durant added 25 as visiting Houston never trailed Los Angeles, ending their 2-4 road trip on a high note.

Jabari Smith Jr. scored 16 points, and Alperen Sengun posted a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. The Rockets turned a 10-point halftime lead into an 81-58 advantage on Smith’s tip-in with 5:52 remaining in the third quarter.

Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 25 points and seven assists, while LeBron James added 18 points in his 19th Christmas Day appearance. Austin Reaves scored 12 points in the first half but did not play in the second due to left calf soreness. Los Angeles was outrebounded 48-25.

—Field Level Media/Reuters