The Oklahoma City Thunder are doing a solid job of sticking with their injury absences, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. Unfortunately, despite a valiant effort on Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons, it came to a halt.
Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs earned their tenth consecutive win with a comeback victory over the Toronto Raptors, despite a relatively quiet game from superstar Victor Wembanyama.
With that win, the Spurs moved to within just two games of Oklahoma City for the number two seed in the Western Conference, a feat that seemed impossible when the Thunder got off to a blazing 24–1 start to the regular season.
X, formerly of ClutchPoints, said on Twitter, "The Thunder have just suffered their 15th loss, which is already more than last season. It's a sharp turnaround for a team that started the year 24-1."
Of course, injuries are a big part of the reason the Thunder have slipped up a bit, but even before Gilgeous-Alexander went down with an abdominal strain, Oklahoma City was already showing some signs of slipping, with the team losing four of the five regular season matchups it played against San Antonio this season.
Meanwhile, the Spurs are 5.5 games ahead of the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets for second place, meaning it's highly likely that San Antonio and Oklahoma City will be the top two seeds in the West when all is said and done.
Many are already anticipating a Western Conference Finals showdown between the two teams, rekindling the rivalry between the teams from the days when Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook wore Thunder jerseys, while Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard suited up for the Spurs in the mid-2010s.
Thankfully for the Thunder, they won't see the Spurs again this season until a potential playoff matchup, if that happens.
