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  • Victor Wembanyama, Spurs halt Thunder’s record streak, make NBA Cup final

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    (Photo credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

    Victor Wembanyama delivered 15 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter in his return from a calf injury and the San Antonio Spurs earned a spot in the NBA Cup West final with a 111-109 upset of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

    Devin Vassell scored 23 points and De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle added 22 apiece as San Antonio handed the Thunder just their second loss in 26 games this season.

    The Spurs will play the New York Knicks in Tuesday night’s NBA Cup final. The Knicks beat the Orlando Magic 132-120 earlier Saturday in the other semifinal.

    Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points for the Thunder, who had their franchise-record 16-game winning streak halted. Oklahoma City had not lost since Nov. 5 at Portland.

    Wembanyama returned after a 12-game absence and was limited to 20 minutes. He collected nine rebounds and San Antonio outscored the Thunder by 21 when Wembanyama was on the floor.

    Jalen Williams had 17 points, seven rebounds and four steals and Chet Holmgren added 17 points for Oklahoma City. Alex Caruso had 11 points, eight rebounds and three steals off the bench and Isaiah Hartenstein contributed 10 points and nine rebounds.

    The Thunder pulled within 106-105 on a dunk by Gilgeous-Alexander with 14.9 seconds left.

    Castle made two free throws with 9.8 seconds remaining to give San Antonio a three-point lead. After the Thunder again pulled within one, Vassell made two free throws with 3.3 seconds left to give the Spurs a 111-108 lead.

    Williams was fouled and made the first free throw with 1.5 seconds left. He missed the second on purpose but Caruso’s follow sailed behind the basket.

    The Spurs made 41.1% of their field-goal attempts, including 13 of 42 from behind the arc, while winning for the 18th time in 25 games this season.

    Oklahoma City shot 41.3% from the field and was just 9 of 37 from 3-point range.

    The Spurs took their first lead at 57-56 on a basket by Fox with 8:45 left in the third quarter.

    That was part of a 10-0 run that ended with Vassell’s trey to put San Antonio up six with 7:58 remaining.

    Fox made two free throws with 0.1 seconds to go as San Antonio took a 78-77 lead into the final stanza.

    The Spurs were up five in the fourth quarter before the Thunder used a 11-3 push to take a 93-90 edge on Caruso’s basket with 6:47 remaining.

    At the outset, Oklahoma City jumped out to a 14-4 lead and ended up with a 31-20 advantage after the opening period.

    Wembanyama entered for the first time at the start of the second quarter and the Spurs immediately went on a 9-2 run.

    Later in the quarter, the Thunder went on a 14-2 burst and took a 47-31 lead on Caruso’s basket with 3:53 left in the first half.

    San Antonio finished the half with 11 straight points to trail 49-46 at the break.

    –Field Level Media

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  • No. 22 Auburn to face tougher test with Oregon at Players Era opener

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    (Photo credit: John Reed-Imagn Images)

    Auburn men’s basketball is just two points away from being undefeated, with their only loss this season coming on Nov. 16, a 73-72 defeat to then-No. 1 Houston.

    Beyond that, No. 22 Auburn (4-1) has feasted on small schools in its four wins. That won’t be the case Monday night at Michelob Ultra Arena near Las Vegas, when the Tigers face Oregon in both teams’ first game of the second annual Players Era men’s tournament.

    Auburn won’t have leading scorer and rebounder Keyshawn Hall in the lineup against the Ducks. Hall, who is averaging 23.3 points and 11 rebounds per game, suffered a lateral foot sprain late in the second half of the Tigers’ loss to Houston. He missed the team’s 112-66 win over Jackson State on Nov. 19.

    The 6-foot-7 transfer from UCF won’t be rushed back, Auburn head coach Steven Pearl told AL.com last week.

    ‘I mean, with him out, just got to step up. It’s the next guy up mentality and we’re trying to win it all,’ Auburn’s Elyjah Freeman said. ‘All that matters is trying to win and stopping them from scoring.’

    Freeman is among six Tigers’ regular players who average double figures in scoring per game. Auburn is averaging 93.4 points per game while shooting 50.2% from the field this season.

    Both teams will play back-to-back games this week, and potentially a third game in three days if they reach the Players Era third-place or championship game on Wednesday, Nov. 26.

    Oregon (4-0) is the defending Players Era tournament champion. The Ducks won the inaugural edition last year with wins over Texas A&M, San Diego State and an 83-81 upset of then-No. 9 Alabama.

    Oregon took home the $1.5 million in NIL money awarded to the tournament’s first-place team.

    The Ducks haven’t played since last Monday, Nov. 17, an 87-75 win over Oregon State. They are 28-9 in games played in Las Vegas under head coach Dana Altman, with 23 wins from the former Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament, last played in March of 2024.

    Oregon is led by center Nate Bittle, whose late put-back dunk with five seconds to play against Alabama in the Players Era championship game last year gave the Ducks the win.

    This year, Bittle is averaging 18.8 points and 9.8 rebounds to lead the Ducks. The focal point of opposing defenses, Bittle has two 20-point games this season and a pair of double-doubles.

    Oregon also has two other experienced players in their third seasons in the program. Point guard Jackson Shelstad has scored 22 points in each of the Ducks’ last two games, and forward Kwame Evans Jr. had a career-high 14 rebounds and made 10 of 14 free throws against Oregon State.

    ‘That’s what you expect from experience — guys that have played for you,’ Altman told Lookout Eugene-Springfield. ‘They’ve been in big games. They’ve been in NCAA tournaments.’

    The Ducks have not shot the ball well overall to start the season, at 40.4%, but are holding opponents to a 38.3% from the field.

    –Field Level Media

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