Past the numbers: Spurs' national TV loss overshadows serious bright spot

When games are going poorly, you have two choices: you can dwell in negativity, or you can find the redeemable parts of the performances. While it's easy to get hung up on what didn't happen, I'm going to choose to go with the latter option. The Oklahoma City Thunder held serve at home. San Antonio came to town, and OKC kicked them right back out with a 105-93 loss to take with them.

The starters were benched with a few minutes left in the game—at that point, it was closer to a 20-point contest, but even still, there are reasons to be optimistic about what transpired on ESPN on All Hallows Eve.

The Spurs have improved their defensive grit and overall determination

Sure, Victor Wembanyama wasn't great. He's reportedly still battling an illness he contracted before the second Houston Rockets game, so that adds up. While that doesn't ease the pain fans feel when their team gets smacked on national television, it adds context to his performance. He barely even took a shot in the second half—it was clear that something was off.

Wemby didn't let that stop him from making an impact on defense. He couldn't find the rhythm to make an imprint on the game offensively, but he knows how to use his size, and his defense helped keep the Spurs in the game.

He moved his feet, impeded drivers, and disrupted the Thunder's offense in the second half. His effort, combined with the determination from the rest of the team, helped keep a game close that really shouldn't have been. The Spurs brought the lead to within seven points at the beginning of the fourth quarter before it got out of hand.

This is a team that scored 114 and 128 in their last two games, so consider the Spurs' ability to hold them to 105 points as an immense improvement.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the Thunder's best player; he was last season's MVP runner-up, and he's one of the hardest offensive players to stop in the NBA. Jeremy Sochan was the primary defender on SGA and held him to 18 points on 7-21 shooting with only five assists. Sochan is continuing to show he's one of the best wing defenders in the league, and that will pay huge dividends down the line.

OKC shot 50% from three in the first half, Holmgren at 15 points at halftime, and San Antonio turned the ball over all night, but they could never really distance themselves from the Silver and Black. Their three-point percentage plummeted to 26.7% in the second half, and Chet finished the game with 19 points.

The Spurs outrebounded OKC 57-45, with 13 of those boards coming on the offensive end. That's hustle and a never-say-die mentality that will pay off once the ball starts going in the basket more.

Devin Vassell will return soon, and the Spurs will have a much-needed boost. Tre Jones missed his third game, and his presence is also needed right now. When the team is healthy and able to operate at full strength, don't be surprised to see this team start rattling off some wins—especially when they don't have to play a top-5 team in the NBA while they're trying to rise from the ashes.