San Antonio Spurs dominate Oklahoma City Thunder 130-110 behind 49 combined points from Keldon Johnson and Stephon Castle for their seventh straight win
Keldon Johnson and Stephon Castle combined for 49 points as the San Antonio Spurs routed the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder 130-110.
The Spurs produced a second-half scoring blitz to secure their seventh consecutive victory.
Starting guard Castle finished with 24 points, including four three-pointers, while Johnson added 25 points off the bench with five threes.
The Thunder, the Western Conference leaders, fell to a 26-4 record with the loss.
San Antonio improved to 22-7 to maintain second place in the West.
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama finished with 12 points in the win.
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 33 points.
“It shows how serious we are — we’ve got the same aspirations that they have,” Castle said.
Castle scored 10 of his 24 points during a dominant 43-28 fourth quarter for the Spurs.
The Denver Nuggets missed a chance to close the gap on Oklahoma City after a narrow 131-130 road loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg scored a game-high 33 points with nine rebounds and nine assists.
Anthony Davis backed Flagg with 31 points for Dallas.
The Nuggets’ duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray combined for 60 points in the defeat.
Denver almost snatched victory at the buzzer, but Peyton Watson’s open three-point attempt bounced out.
“We’re just coming together, trying to have each other’s backs,” Flagg said.
Dallas improved to 12-19 with the win, while the Nuggets slipped to 21-8.
Flagg said the Mavericks are learning from close games, including a recent win over the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons.
Anthony Edwards scored 38 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the New York Knicks 115-104.
Edwards knocked down four three-pointers in the home victory.
Teammate Julius Randle added 25 points for the Timberwolves.
The Wolves eclipsed a 40-point performance from the Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns.
New York star Jalen Brunson missed the game with a right ankle injury.
