Through 25 games this year, the Oklahoma City Thunder looked unbeatable. They won 24 of those games, tied for the best start ever. Coming off a championship and looking even more dominant than ever, it looked as if this team could almost sleepwalk to a second straight title. But a challenger has risen in the form of the San Antonio Spurs, who have OKC’s number this season.
Spurs pop up as Oklahoma City Thunder stoppers
One loss is not all that crazy, since technically, any team can beat any team. You’d never expect the Washington Wizards to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, but they theoretically could. Two losses might be a fluke, but three isn’t. That’s how many times the Thunder have fallen to the San Antonio Spurs.
Victor Wembanyama is a special talent, and his otherworldly abilities have helped the Spurs go 3-0 against the Thunder this year. It’s a budding rivalry that could define the West for years. These two teams each have rosters brimming with young talent.
This all started in the NBA Cup semifinal. Wembanyama returned from a multi-week hiatus due to injury for that game, and he helped the Spurs knock off Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder. Then, the Spurs hosted the Thunder earlier this week and won by 20. That’s not easy to do.
No team had beaten the Thunder by that much this season. Only one team beat the Thunder by 20 or more last year. They just don’t get beaten that badly ever, but the Spurs figured out the key. The Spurs traveled to Oklahoma City for a Christmas Day matchup and proved that this is no fluke. They won by 15 this time.
Victor Wembanyama is 4-3 against the Thunder in his NBA career, which began in 2023 as the Thunder were really jumping into dynasty territory. Overall, the Spurs are 5-5 in that span against the Thunder, including going 4-2 since last season.
Those numbers aren’t overwhelming, but when you factor in that the Thunder have a .690 win percentage since 2022-23, the fact that the Spurs have won more games than lost (or the same) in the last couple of seasons is highly impressive. No team has remotely had any sort of similar success against the Thunder.
Oklahoma City Thunder, Spurs players talk recent matchup
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 22 against the Spurs on Christmas Day, but he needed 19 shots and only made seven of them. That’s a rare occurrence. Since 2023, he’s shooting 53.1% from the field, so he doesn’t miss like that very often.
Victor Wembanyama plays a big role in that. Gilgeous-Alexander is second in the NBA with over 18 drives per game, so he prefers to get downhill. But at the bottom of this particular hill is Wembanyama, whose rim defense is almost unmatched in the NBA.
Regardless, these teams are getting very familiar with one another. “This is like a playoff series,” Wembanyama said of facing the Thunder three times in such a short time via ESPN. “We learned a lot on the tactical side I don’t want to say too much about it. Keep something for us.”
The reigning MVP believes the Thunder must go back to the drawing board. “We have to get better as a group,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “You don’t lose to a team three times in a row in a short span without them being better than you. We have to get better … if we want to reach our ultimate goal.”
The ultimate goal there is to repeat as champions. That’s something no one has done since the Golden State Warriors in 2016-2018. Prior to that, the Miami Heat did it in 2011-2013. Few teams ever reach that status, but it feels almost inevitable that the Thunder will. Not if the Spurs have anything to do with it, though.
Related Posts
