San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama scored a career-high six points, shooting 1 of 5 from the field and 0 for 3 from the 3-point line, in a 105-93 loss to fellow sophomore big man Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.

Wembanyama, 20, scored just three single-digit goals during his rookie season. The Thunder became the first team to hold him under 10 points last season, when he recorded eight points and 14 rebounds in a loss to Oklahoma City on Nov. 14, 2023. Wembanyama grabbed eight rebounds and blocked three shots in the loss on Wednesday.

Holmgren finished second to Wembanyama in the 2024 Rookie of the Year voting, but got the best of Wembanyama in their most recent matchup. Holmgren started the match by blocking one of Wembanyama’s shots on the opening play and then blocked Jeremy Sochan seconds later on the same possession.

🙅‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/UYBNzqrPuU

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 31, 2024

In addition to the win, Homgren finished with 19 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks on 7-of-10 shooting and 3 of 3 from distance.

The Thunder remain undefeated and improve to 4-0, while the Spurs fall to 1-3 and have yet to win a game along the way.

Lessons learned for Spurs

An important night for Wembanyama and San Antonio, not because of the result but because of the lessons learned. Arguably the best defensive team in the league, Oklahoma City used a combination of a raucous crowd and physical scheme to nullify Wembanyama and render him ineffective.

Other teams watching this match will certainly look to implement bits and pieces of the Thunder approach, with Wembanyama swarming the nail and maintaining length on the edge.

Spurs are going through the motions offensively at the moment and simply haven’t performed as a unit through the first four games, but the bigger story is Wembanyama’s inconsistency to start his second year. There was a real lack of aggression, especially when smaller defenders were clinging to him and his body language suggested he was tired or frustrated. If San Antonio has any hope of improving on its 22-60 record, it starts in statement games like this.

As for any potential rivalry with Holmgren, the Thunder Big planted its flag in the ground on Wednesday night and won the first match handily. – Kelly Iko, NBA staff writer

What they say

“They’re a really good team,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said after the loss. “They’re a playoff team that could very well get deep into the playoffs – and maybe even do better than that. They are a better team than us. But that also matters. We try to reach their level.

“And it’s basketball, it’s the same things that take everyone to the next level. It’s a 48 minute game. You have to take it every quarter, every asset. So give them credit, great team. They are really well coached, they are disciplined and consistent. I like their team. But I also love my team, but we have more work to do than they do. And our guys have to understand that, embrace that, deal with it professionally and want to be more consistent in all those areas.”

Required reading

(Photo: Alonzo Adams / Imagn Images)