While many Western Conference teams have been playing well lately, none had been playing better than the Oklahoma City Thunder as of Thursday. The team lead by Shai Gilgeous and Alexander had won six straight games, all by double digits, and they were about to win one more against the lowly San Antonio Spurs.
But the cellar dwellers had other ideas, and they lived up to the expectations that a lot of people had before the season began. The 132-118 home triumph was the result of a spectacular effort by Victor Wembanyama, capping off an incredible February, but Devin Vassell gets most of the credit for an incredibly productive offensive night.
After making a 3-pointer with over five minutes remaining in the game, the 23-year-old wing found a new gear in the fourth quarter and gave the Spurs a permanent advantage. Upon completing 12 of his 20 shots, he finished with 28 points, 9 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal. In order to celebrate his accomplishment, the former lottery pick addressed some criticism he had received earlier in the game.
Following his decisive performance against Thunder, Devin Vassell takes to social media.
Near the end of the third quarter, Vassell missed a jump shot and then fouled OKC’s Jalen Williams after the latter had hit a basket. This action was highlighted by a sports anchor from San Antonio. He wrote on X, “Low basketball IQ mistakes keeping OKC in it.” “Devin is guilty once more. Poor passes, misses, turnovers, and fouls. 2–1 Spurs heading into the fourth.
Although a 12-48 team is definitely worthy of condemnation, this seemed like an unnecessary point to make in this specific contest. Devin Vassell only committed one turnover and continues to stay hot from the field (shooting 42.5 percent from 3-point range this month). He had a concise response to the social media post.
“Stop Hating bro… just enjoy the dub,” he said. Jeremy Sochan, who tallied 11 points of his own in the fourth quarter, backed up his Spurs teammate. “He’s just insecure, good stuff today my Brudda!.”
Scathing replies are to be expected in situations like these, but there is a line players should not cross. Sochan should have just focused on the questionable analysis. There is no call for insults. He might have felt it was his obligation to stick up for a teammate, but there is a more respectful way to express loyalty
