Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs blocks shot of Chet Holmgren #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first half at Frost Bank Center on January 24, 2024 in San Antonio, Texas. Photo: Ronald Cortes / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
The Spurs lost at home to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night, losing 140-114. Victor Wembanyama led the team with 24 points. Devin Vassell added 21 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 32 points. The Spurs are now 8 and 36 on the season, while the Thunder are 31 and 13.
SPURS POSTGAME QUOTES:
Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich:
(On the Thunder and what he thinks of what they’ve built over the years…)
“[Sam Presti] has been fantastic, but it takes a while to get there. They’ve had a lot of good picks over a good number of years to get where they are now and it’s starting to show its benefits. So, they’re doing a great job. Coach [Daigneault] has done a great job. They’ve stayed the course, been patient, added people every year and now they have a chance to do something special. So, they’ve done a wonderful job.”
(On how Popovich felt Blake Wesley played tonight…)
“I believe he did a good job. He’s a young man who’s trying to find his way in the league and hasn’t gotten a lot of minutes. I thought that he tried to do everything we wanted him to do tonight.”
Spurs Forward Victor Wembanyama
(On the defensive strategy of Oklahoma City…)
“Having a smaller guy gives me some easy baskets sometimes. But matching me up with a bigger guy allows me to be faster than them. I just got to adapt. But I've seen this defense before, so I just play differently every time.”
(On playing time and getting back to normal…)
“I think we're getting close, and it's a good thing. For me, the recovery is always the most important. Even though sometimes it's hard to sleep with the time zones and travel, we got to do the best that we can and my body's reacting pretty well so far.”
Spurs Guard Blake Wesley
(On how comfortable he felt tonight…)
“I felt great. Thank God for the opportunity. Second career start, so it felt great. It started with my defense, and it led to my offense.”
(On his comfort in his second start compared to his first…)
“My first career start I was a little nervous. As a rookie, I didn’t know what to expect, but it’s my second year, so I got it. I watch Tre [Jones], I watch everybody else, so it went well.”
(On what he’s focusing on to get better offensively…)
“Having a plan when I go up. In the first half, I got the rebound, went up in the air, and I didn’t have a plan, so I turned it over. So, really knowing when to go up, when to pass it, two-foot jump shot and find the guy. So, continue to work on that.”