Thunder’s Holmgren gets the best of Spurs’ Wembanyama in the latest game

OKLAHOMA CITY — Chet Holmgren grows weary of addressing what he considers a manufactured rivalry with Victor Wembanyamabut he understands the hype.

Wembanyama is 7-foot-3 and Holmgren is 7-foot-1. Wembanyama was last year’s Rookie of the Year for the San Antonio Spurs, and Holmgren was the runner-up for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Both have ball handling skills and shooting range that are exceptionally good for players of their height and length.

That kind of story potentially leads to higher ratings and more fans in seats.

“The NBA is a business,” Holmgren said. “And the league is built around players… It’s really about — it’s about getting people to come and watch the games. And that’s one of the ways they do that — by advertising the players. So I just see it as a form of advertising.”

Holmgren won the matchup on Wednesday. He scored 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting to help the Thunder defeat the Spurs 105-93.

Wembanyama was held to six points on 1-for-5 shooting. He didn’t take a shot or score in the second half.

Before the game, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Wembanyama has improved since last year, when he was also runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year. He said the 20-year-old became more confident this summer while leading France to a silver medal at the Olympics.

After the game, Popovich did not answer questions. He gave a two-minute statement in which he complimented the Thunder and criticized his team’s efforts.

Last season, Wembanyama became more effective every time the Spurs played the Thunder, and San Antonio’s results also improved.

Oklahoma City won the first two matchups last season, but Wembanyama had 28 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks in the third, a 132-118 win for San Antonio. Holmgren had 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the same game.

Wembanyama didn’t play in Game 4, a runaway victory for the Thunder, but he averaged 20 points, 13 rebounds and 3.8 blocks in the three he played, setting the stage for the energy level at Paycom Center on Wednesday.

Wembanyama was booed loudly when he was introduced with the starters – just ahead of the former Oklahoma City player Chris Paul was cheered.

After Wembanyama won the tip, the crowd got excited as the two would occasionally match head-to-head. There was a buzz in the first quarter as Holmgren handled the ball against Wembanyama before missing a pull-up jumper. Holmgren hit a couple of early threes while being guarded by other players.

The excitement subsided as the matchup became lopsided. Holmgren scored 15 points in the first half, while Wembanyama had six points on 1-for-5 shooting and six rebounds.

After Oklahoma City took control, Wembanyama was benched for the game’s final 7:04 — an unexpected finish for a player who had averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds through three games.

When asked about the showdown after the game, Holmgren avoided it.

“I enjoy every single day being able to wake up, play basketball, take care of my family doing that,” he said. “That’s what I’ve always wanted to do. That’s what I’ll always do as long as I’m able to. And you know, it doesn’t change game to game. But no matter what, it’s always going to be Thunder versus our opponent I’m trying to win basketball games and it’s going to be every night.