The Thunder look to avoid season sweep vs. its biggest threat in Spurs

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The Thunder look to avoid season sweep vs. its biggest threat in Spurs

Josue Pavon, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Tue, Jan 13, 2026 ·

6 min read

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Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says the San Antonio Spurs are the better team following a third loss in 12 days, which crystallized the young up-and-comers as the defending champions' biggest threat in the Western Conference. All-Star center Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs remind Jalen Williams of a young Thunder team.

But which one — the team that embarked on an unexpected championship run last season, or the one that took its lumps against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks in a second round exit of the 2024 playoffs? Against the Thunder, the Spurs are closer to the former than the latter.

"They kind of remind me of my second year. Just how together they play, and they're figuring that out as a team," Williams said after a 117-102 blowout loss on Christmas. "They all do well in their role, and they're OK with that, which is fun to play against. Definitely gives us a lot to learn from in regard to that. So, that's pretty cool."

While Gilgeous-Alexander's reaction to being handed three convincing losses to the same team in less than two weeks was a declaration of sorts, Williams' comments came off as if an older brother was complimenting his younger sibling donned in hand-me-downs for having great taste. A compliment nonetheless, but far from labeling the Spurs as a legitimate threat to the Thunder's chances of repeating as champions.

Tuesday's matchup isn't just a test; it's the defending champion Thunder's midterm exam. We await to see head coach Mark Daigneault and the defending champions make the proper adjustments against a healthy Wembanyama-led Spurs team. San Antonio is coming off of impressive wins against the New York Knicks , the Los Angeles Lakers , and the Boston Celtics since its last meeting against the Thunder.

And while the Spurs have lost half of their last 10 games, they tend to bring their A-game against the NBA elite teams, leading with, of course, their December trifecta over the Thunder. San Antonio is the only team to beat the defending champions more than once this season.

"It sucks, obviously, being on the other end of it, but watching another team—over the course of basketball history—that has always found a way to figure out how to improve. That's the biggest thing," Williams added. "They're connected—you can tell. Guys are stepping up, making big plays. Everybody's kind of settled into their role. So, that's what makes them tough.

"Then, having Victor out there, defensively, covers up for a lot of their mistakes, which is why our offensive progression is so much more important," Williams concluded.

The Thunder's offensive counter will be critical against the team with the third-ranked defensive rating (112.0) in the NBA. While Oklahoma City still leads ahead of the Spurs and the Detroit Pistons (110.5), with a 106.9 defensive rating, that number spikes to 119.3 against San Antonio.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says Spurs are better than Thunder

Offensively, the Spurs' plethora of score-first guards who cover ground on the opposite end of the floor caused fits against the Thunder, as De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle , Keldon Johnson , and Dylan Harper picked apart OKC's defense. While stringing together defensive stops, the Spurs guards' blend of attacking the rim in open spaces, coupled with consistent 3-point shooting, led the Thunder to the wrong end of a double-digit deficit.

The Spurs demonstrated a masterclass in taking the Thunder out of its game. Even with Victor Wembanyama coming off the bench, starters Luke Kornet , Harrison Barnes , and Devin Vassell held down the frontcourt — protecting the rim and defending the perimeter, which forced the Thunder into 44 three-point attempts, of which Oklahoma City connected on only 11 (25%).

San Antonio's Christmas Day beating came on the heels of a 130-110 loss on December 23, two days before the Spurs handed the Thunder another blowout loss. None of it sat well with Gilgeous-Alexander, who delivered a sobering truth during his postgame media availability.

"We have to get better as a group. You don't lose to a team three times in a row in a short span without them being better than you," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "We have to get better. Look in the mirror, and that's everybody from top to bottom, if we want to reach our ultimate goal."

While Gilgeous-Alexander's 22 points led the Thunder in scoring, it took him 19 shots to get there, as the Spurs' defense rattled the reigning MVP from finding his offensive rhythm. Chet Holmgren failed to attempt 10 shots, as he finished 5-of-9 from the floor two days after San Antonio limited his touches, forcing him to go 3-for-10.

San Antonio capitalized on Holmgren's offensive struggles, making him a non-factor. At the same time, Wembanyama anchored the defense in a limited role, which will expand to his usual workload for the first time against the Thunder this season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander not focused on Spurs' success

For Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder, there is no heightened focus on playing the Spurs compared to the rest of the regular season schedule. However, Gilgeous-Alexander knows the challenge that lies ahead will determine whether the Thunder can prove its improvement over the past two weeks is enough to defeat the Spurs for the first time in four tries.

At the risk of sounding eager, Gilgeous-Alexander revealed he hasn't thought about Tuesday's duel against the only team that's handed the Thunder three losses in one season since the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023-24.

"I haven't thought about it yet, but since we're here, we gotta win," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "It's like every other night. You wake up, and you want to win a basketball game. Now, it's obviously a very good team, who's gotten the better of us recently. It should be a fun one. It should be competitive. We gotta go out there and do the necessary things to win a game, and if we don't, we'll most likely lose."

And it isn't just the fact that the Spurs defeated the Thunder three times in 12 days with a limited Victor Wembanyama coming off the bench, but rather how they did it. In a demoralizing fashion, San Antonio pushed Oklahoma City around in Las Vegas, at home, and at the Paycom Center as a Christmas Day present, stating we're a problem that the Thunder has yet to solve this season.

The stage is set for the Thunder to punch back against the only team that's found a way to dominate the defending champions on multiple occasions. The Thunder, with its 2025 championship banner hanging in the rafters at the Paycom Center, will look to beat the Spurs for the first time this season.

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