In a span of just two weeks, the San Antonio Spurs have beaten the Oklahoma City Thunder, not just once, not twice, but three times. What was deemed to be an unbeatable squad fell to a young roster on three different occasions in a short duration, making it official that the Thunder have a Spurs problem this season. With San Antonio handing Oklahoma three of their five losses, fans are beginning to wonder: How come the defending champions and the reigning MVP keep getting destroyed by their now Kryptonite, the Spurs?
The Thunder Can’t Handle the Spurs’ Multiple Scoring Options
This season, OKC has boasted the league-best defense. They’re currently No.1 in terms of defensive rating with 106.2 and hold that spot by a huge margin (Detroit Pistons being No.2 with 111.3). In addition, the Thunder have only allowed 107.35 points per game from their opponents, the lowest across the league.
This is mainly due to their excellent defenders—Alex Caruso, Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams, and even Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. However, even the best defensive team in the NBA looked way mismatched against their neighbors, the San Antonio Spurs, in December due to the fact that the Spurs probably have the best rotation in the league right now.
Despite OKC’s impenetrable cover on the perimeter topped with the ability to turn turnovers into fastbreak points, San Antonio has found a way to break it down effectively. On some occasions, they can rely on reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle and perhaps another RoY frontrunner this season in Dylan Harper. On some nights, it could be Keldon Johnson, Julian Champagnie, and Devin Vassell erupting for the most points and, in most cases, De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama would tally some of the most jaw dropping stat lines. Even veterans like ”Mr.100 Percent” himself, Harrison Barnes, and fan-favorite Luke Kornet would surprise the fans by putting up great numbers just like when Kornet recorded a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double against the Washington Wizards earlier this month (both season-highs).
In short, the San Antonio Spurs are too deep and it’s obviously not a one-man show with Wemby. Although the French superstar makes this team better when he is on the floor, the Spurs can survive the Thunder’s defense even without the 7-foot-5 big man. As a team with too many options, even the best defensive team in the league are having difficulties finding an answer to Fox, Castle, Harper, Vassell, Johnson, Champagnie, Barnes, and Kornet. Not to mention, Lindy Waters III and Jordan McLaughlin can give any team a run for their money with enough playing time.
It’s not just enough to have too many options; they also must be patient and efficient. The Thunder are adept at forcing turnovers, changing shots, and stopping passing lanes. However, the Spurs have found a way to negate that—by playing at their own pace. They’re just almost as good as OKC on the defensive end with the 5th best defensive rating in the league (112.9) and sit right below the Thunder in terms of offensive rating (120.0) and effective field goal percentage (56.4%).
Head coach Mitch Johnson should also get the recognition for allowing his players to co-exist and mesh to become the unstoppable force they are right now. They’re playing pure and ETHICAL basketball again, just like they did in 2014 back when they still had Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Kawhi Leonard.
San Antonio Spurs: Younger, Hungrier, and Better (For Now)
On paper, Oklahoma is by far the best team in the NBA. They’re sitting in the top five of every advanced analytics and are on the top of every defensive category. However, after being bested three straight games in two weeks against San Antonio, even Shai Gilgeous-Alexander admits that the Spurs have caught on and are already the better team.
They suffered a heart-breaking defeat in the NBA Cup semifinals on December 14th in Wembanyama’s first game back after missing twelve games which some thought was just a fluke. Then came a 130-110 defeat on December 24th headlined by a sizzling hot Keldon Johnson. But the ultimate gut punch was their Christmas game matchup, where the Spurs once again came out on top, 117-102. The reason? The Spurs are hungrier and their offensive fire is evident. They have a mix of young talents with size, speed, and athleticism who can all shoot from everywhere on the floor.
They were no slouch on defense either. Although SGA gets his usual numbers in their first three meetings, San Antonio have only allowed Oklahoma City to 35.6% (lower than their 37% average this season) from three and have outrebounded them 137-133. It may not look much, but for a championship team that has been winning both ends of the floor by a landslide, it’s definitely a lot.
Spurs Having a 7-foot-5 Alien Feels Like a Fever Dream
Aside from their amazing eight-game winning streak, the San Antonio Spurs are now undefeated against the No.1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder and could potentially take the top spot in the West if they continue at this rate. However, the most impressive thing about this achievement is that Victor Wembanyama isn’t playing at 100% yet. The 21-year-old center is still under minutes restriction and has been coming off the bench, but his presence is still felt both inside and outside the paint. Despite limited playing time, Wemby can still go off and log a double-double while extending his blocks record.
Wembanyama is the backbone of this team, but the Spurs have shown they are well-rounded and that they can beat any team in the league, including the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Spurs and the Thunder will meet again on January 14 and February 5, 2026, to end their regular season series. This could even go further if both have great playoff runs, but what happens in May will almost always be different from what happens in December. Hopefully, this rivalry gives us the matchup we always wanted.
