Holmgren Bounces Back as Thunder Edge Spurs Amid Scuffle

WHO:

RealGM Basketball - Chet Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, De'Aaron Fox, Victor Wembanyama, Jaylin Williams, Jalen Williams and Kenrich Williams were involved in the game and its on-court confrontation.

Sportskeeda - De'Aaron Fox committed a hard foul on Chet Holmgren during the Thunder-Spurs game.

Reddit Sports - The post listed De'Aaron Fox, Victor Wembanyama, Jalen Williams, Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams in connection with the foul and technical fouls.

WHAT:

Yahoo Sports - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recorded five rebounds and four assists in the Thunder’s win.

NBC Sports - San Antonio shot 38.7% from the field and 10-of-37 (27%) from three-point range.

NBC Sports - Oklahoma City outscored San Antonio 31-16 in the second quarter.

NBC Sports - Jalen Williams scored 12 points on 5-of-16 shooting in his return.

NBC Sports - Victor Wembanyama recorded six blocks.

Yahoo Sports - Victor Wembanyama finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds; he made one field goal and recorded three blocks in the first half.

Yahoo Sports - Oklahoma City went on a 9-0 run after the scuffle and built a 26-point lead, including a 22-3 stretch. The Thunder led by 21 at halftime and made 10 of 14 three-pointers in the first half.

Yahoo Sports - The Spurs cut the deficit to single digits with a 14-3 run after halftime.

Yahoo Sports - Thunder rookie Aday Mara blocked Wembanyama at the rim, then scored on a lob at the other end.

Yahoo Sports - Wembanyama missed his first 12 shots, the worst shooting start of his career in a game, before scoring with a reverse dunk at the end of the third quarter.

Yahoo Sports - Stephon Castle scored 24 points and had seven rebounds; Dylan Harper scored 18 points. Jared McCain scored 20 points off the bench and made a career-high six three-pointers.

Yahoo Sports - Gilgeous-Alexander said, “We're just happy to be back. The NBA's back. It's a longer summer when you don't win, and we felt that this summer.”

Yahoo Sports - Gilgeous-Alexander added, “[It's] one of 82. This doesn't prove anything, this doesn't mean anything. … We took a step in the right direction.”

ESPN - Gilgeous-Alexander said Holmgren “changes everything for us,” adding that Holmgren’s performance helped the team have “a good night tonight.”

ESPN - Holmgren said, “if they want to play physical, we have to match that, and the refs are going to do their job in keeping that within the guidelines.”

ESPN - Jalen Williams said he ran into the scuffle without much thought, explaining, “If anybody's ever been in a scuffle, there's really not a lot of thinking to it.”

ESPN - ESPN’s Michael C. Wright contributed to the report.

IJR - The second-quarter confrontation involved Fox, Holmgren, Wembanyama and several Thunder players; Fox received a flagrant 1 and four players were assessed technical fouls.

Pro Football Network - Fans reacted to Gilgeous-Alexander’s performance with MVP talk.

RealGM Basketball - Holmgren had four points and four rebounds in Game 7 of the previous season’s Western Conference finals, which San Antonio won to eliminate Oklahoma City.

NY Post - The Thunder’s 116-104 win over the Spurs was described as revenge for their playoff loss last season.

RealGM Basketball - The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 116-104 in their season opener. Holmgren recorded 14 points, seven rebounds and four blocks; Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points.

RealGM Basketball - Defending Victor Wembanyama, Holmgren helped hold him to 1-for-13 shooting.

RealGM Basketball - Fox grabbed Holmgren by the shoulders while Holmgren was posting up and threw him to the floor. Fox received a flagrant 1 foul.

RealGM Basketball - Thunder players rushed toward Fox, and Wembanyama stepped in to defend his teammate. Officials reviewed the incident and assessed technical fouls to Wembanyama, Jaylin Williams, Jalen Williams and Kenrich Williams.

RealGM Basketball - Holmgren said, “I'm going to get up and keep hooping, but I appreciate my teammates having my back,” and said he did not understand why three technicals were given for reactions to the incident.

RealGM Basketball - Fox said, “[If] somebody grabs you like that and you go flying on the floor like that, you've got other problems to worry about,” and added, “I didn't throw him that hard, I promise you.”

RealGM Basketball - Jalen Williams said the technical foul would cost him $2,500 and called it the first time “Williams, Williams, Williams” had been called for technicals together.

Sportskeeda - The Thunder-Spurs rivalry heated up during the game after Fox’s hard foul on Holmgren.

Reddit Sports - Its post described a fight between the Spurs and Thunder and listed a flagrant foul on Fox and technical fouls on Wembanyama, Jalen Williams, Jaylin Williams and Kenrich Williams.

WHERE:

Yahoo Sports - The game was played at the Frost Bank Center.

RealGM Basketball - The game was between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.

Reddit Sports - The post framed the matchup as a Western Conference finals rematch.

WHY:

NBC Sports - Oklahoma City believed it would have had a chance to return to the NBA Finals and defend its title if Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell had been healthy during the Western Conference finals.

ESPN - The Thunder considered Fox’s force on the play unnecessary, and their players reacted to support Holmgren.

Pro Football Network - Fans’ MVP talk followed Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 32 points in the Thunder’s win.

NY Post - The Thunder opened their season with a win to get a measure of revenge for last season’s playoff loss.

RealGM Basketball - The technical fouls followed the confrontation after Fox fouled Holmgren; Wembanyama stepped in to defend Fox, and Thunder players rushed in.

HOW:

ESPN - Jaylin Williams was the first Thunder teammate to reach the confrontation; he went face-to-chest with Wembanyama, and Jalen and Kenrich Williams joined moments later.

RealGM Basketball - Officials reviewed the confrontation before issuing the technical fouls.

RealGM Basketball - Gilgeous-Alexander described Holmgren as “an All-NBA talent on both ends of the floor,” adding, “When he's himself, your team is better. It's as simple as that.”

Oklahoma City opened its season by beating San Antonio 116 to 104 in a Western Conference finals rematch, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 32 points. Chet Holmgren added 14 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, helping limit Victor Wembanyama to one basket on 13 attempts. The game’s flashpoint came when De’Aaron Fox grabbed Holmgren and pulled him to the floor. Officials reviewed the play, gave Fox a flagrant-one foul and assessed technicals to Wembanyama and Thunder players Jaylin, Jalen and Kenrich Williams. Oklahoma City seized control with a 31-to-16 second quarter and built a 21-point halftime lead, though San Antonio later cut the margin to single digits. Wembanyama finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks, while Stephon Castle scored 24. Gilgeous-Alexander called the win a step in the right direction, but said one game proves nothing.