The Spurs ride Poeltl’s big night to win over the Thunder

San Antonio went into the All-Star break on a high note Wednesday night, taking a 114-106 road win over the Thunder despite a sluggish second half.

Jakob Poeltl set a new career high with 17 rebounds to go along with 20 points on 10-14 shooting, five assists and two blocks. Blockob took advantage of the Thunder’s lack of size, hounding the boards and dominating possessions in the paint. Even when OKC defenders sagged off to help, Poeltl displayed sharp playmaking skills from the high post to keep the offense flowing.

“I told him after the game, ‘You were a star tonight. We don’t win the game without what you did tonight,’” Gregg Popovich said.

All five of the Spurs’ starters, Poeltl included, finished the night in double digits. They were led by Keldon Johnson, who posted 22 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. Dejounte Murray added another 18 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and a steal.

The Silver and Black clicked well offensively throughout the first two quarters, taking a 74-58 lead into halftime. The team only scored 41 points in the second half, but was able to hold off the Thunder for the win.

Josh Richardson, newly acquired from Boston after San Antonio traded away Derrick White, also made his debut with the team on Wednesday. Richardson didn’t get much run, hitting a 3-pointer, dishing out two times and rejecting a shot in 14 minutes, but finished the night with the highest plus/minus of the game at +14.

You can catch the full game highlights below. The Spurs will take the next week off before wrapping up the final three games of the Rodeo Road Trip, beginning with the Washington Wizards on Feb. 25 at 6 p.m.