By ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Keldon Johnson scored 25 points, Victor Wembanyama had 22 points and 14 rebounds and the San Antonio Spurs never trailed in a 116-106 victory over injury-depleted Oklahoma City on Wednesday night, beating the reigning NBA champion Thunder for a fourth time this season.
De’Aaron Fox had 15 points and 10 assists, rookie forward Carter Bryant matched a season high with 11 points as San Antonio won its second straight.
The Spurs (34-16) closed to within five games of the Western Conference-leading Thunder (40-12).
Kenrich Williams scored 25 points and Jaylin Williams added 24 points and 12 rebounds for Oklahoma City, which had only eight active players.
Reigning MVP and All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed the game with an abdominal strain. The Thunder were without their entire regular starting lineup on the second night of a back-to-back.
Late in the third quarter, there was no one other than staff on the bench when Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault had his three reserves preparing to sub in with San Antonio holding a 90-80 lead.
Oklahoma City’s frontcourt of Jaylin Williams, Kenrich Williams and Aaron Wiggins combined for 69 points, including 36 in the first half. Wiggins finished with 20 points 7-for-14 shooting.
Spurs point guard Jordan McLaughlin, who played only three minutes in the previous three games, made the most of some early minutes with a 3-pointer to cap a 12-2 run bridging the first and second quarters for a 42-26 lead. The Thunder have won just three of their last seven games.
San Antonio won its first three games against Oklahoma City, including a 111-109 victory in the NBA Cup semifinals on Dec. 13. The Thunder won the previous matchup 119-98 in Oklahoma City on Jan. 13.
Meanwhile, Derrick White made six 3-pointers and scored 28 points and the Boston Celtics used a big third quarter to build the lead and cruise to a 114-93 win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.
White’s performance helped the Celtics win a fourth straight game despite missing star Jaylen Brown, who sat out with left hamstring tightness in the second game of a back-to-back.
Kevin Durant led the Rockets with 15 points in his return after sitting out Monday with a sprained left ankle. Sengun, who had 39 points and 16 rebounds in Monday’s win over Indiana, had 13 points and nine rebounds.
Neemias Queta had 10 points and a career-high 19 rebounds, and Luka Garza added 19 points to help the Celtics to the victory.
