While the Oklahoma City Thunder's 16-game win streak came to an end in a 111-109 NBA Cup semifinals loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made one of the most impressive plays of the night. In the second half, after Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder's starting five debuted for the first time this season, Shai made a smooth defensive stop on Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanyama.

In one of his most impressive highlights of the season, Gilgeous-Alexander blocked Wembanyama to jump-start the Thunder's fast-break before scoring on the other end of the floor.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 29 points on 12-of-23 shooting, five assists, four rebounds, and one block in the Thunder's two-point loss to the Spurs. San Antonio hands Oklahoma City its second loss of the season and advances to the NBA Cup finals, where the Spurs will face the New York Knicks in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Jalen Williams finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Chet Holmgren added 17 points, including 10-for-12 from the free-throw line, seven rebounds, and one block, and Alex Caruso's 11 points led the bench.

Wembanyama led the Spurs' bench with 22 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks in his return from a calf injury. Devin Vassell's 23 points led four Spurs players in double figures, including De'Aaron Fox (22 points) and Stephon Castle (22 points), who combined for 44 points.

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder come up short versus Spurs

Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) flexes in front of Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) during the third quarter at T-Mobile Arena
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been compared to Michael Jordan for his efficient scoring this season, which only added to the hype surrounding the Spurs' NBA Cup semifinal game in Las Vegas. After beating the Lakers without All-Star Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs thrived with him, even in a limited role, against the defending champions.

Wembanyama's return was the kind of push the Spurs needed, giving them an edge against the defending champion Thunder, as a young, gutsy, talented group, proving themselves in a game that meant more than most regular-season games.