Thunder and Spurs fall at home; Warriors triumph in a duel marked by tension in Minneapolis

WASHINGTON. – The NBA’s Sunday schedule left important surprises, with home defeats for the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs, while the Golden State Warriors defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in a rescheduled game conditioned by an unusual atmosphere in the city.

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Oklahoma City (37-10), the current champion and league leader, suffered its second consecutive setback and the third in its last five matches, falling to the Toronto Raptors. The Canadian team, which remains third in the Eastern Conference with a record of 29-19, was led by Immanuel Quickley, who contributed 23 points and 11 rebounds. For the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 points, reaching his 117th game with at least 20 points, approaching Wilt Chamberlain’s historic streak (126).

San Antonio lets the victory slip away

In another unexpected result, the San Antonio Spurs (31-15) were defeated by the New Orleans Pelicans (12-36), last in the West, despite having overcome a 20-point deficit in the third quarter. Victor Wembanyama recorded a double-double of 16 points and 16 rebounds, but it was not enough to avoid the defeat. Zion Williamson led the Pelicans with 24 points and 10 rebounds. After starting the last period with a dominant 24-5 run that gave them the lead, the Spurs ceded control of the game after allowing a 17-3 reaction that sealed the final score 104-95 in favor of New Orleans. Even so, San Antonio remains second in the Western Conference, only behind Oklahoma City.

Bitter victory for Golden State

The Warriors convincingly defeated the Timberwolves 111-85 in Minneapolis, in a match where Stephen Curry reached 26,396 points in his career to become the twentieth highest historical scorer in the NBA, surpassing John Havlicek. However, coach Steve Kerr described the atmosphere as one of the strangest he has experienced, due to the tension in the city after an incident during a migration operation that caused massive protests and led to the suspension of the game the previous day. “It was a sad night. We won, but the atmosphere was completely subdued,” Kerr expressed. Both teams will face each other again this Monday, again in Minneapolis.

Pistons dominate in Sacramento

In Sacramento, the Detroit Pistons (33-11) put on an offensive display by defeating the Kings 139-116. Cade Cunningham led the victory with 29 points, five rebounds and 11 assists, while eight Detroit players finished in double figures. The Pistons currently lead the Eastern Conference. The Kings (12-35), who are on a five-game losing streak, remain at the bottom of the West.

Other results and postponed matches

In other matchups, the Los Angeles Clippers crushed the Brooklyn Nets 126-89, leaving the team led by Jordi Fernández with only 37 points in the first half. Likewise, the Miami Heat defeated the Phoenix Suns 111-102 with 20 points from Jaime Jáquez Jr. The Memphis Grizzlies vs. Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks vs. Dallas Mavericks games were postponed due to the severe cold and snow storm affecting a large part of the United States.