Through the opening weeks of the NBA season, the Thunder appeared to be marching towards defending their championship. Starting out 25–1 on the year, many were beginning to wonder if Oklahoma City would be able to surpass the Warriors’ record 73-win season just a decade ago.
But just as the Thunder’s hot start was starting to boil over, the Spurs came along to snuff out the flame. OKC has now lost four of their past six games, with three of those losses coming at the hands of the Spurs. Most recently, San Antonio took down the Thunder on Christmas Day in a 117–102 victory, handing OKC its first home loss of the year.
So what’s the secret to the Spurs’ success against the reigning champs? There’s no one player stepping up for San Antonio, although the mere presence of Victor Wembanyama on the court undoubtedly contributes plenty. Ultimately though, it’s a team effort from the Spurs that sets them apart, and has helped them dismantle the best team in basketball three times in the past two weeks.
Let’s take a look at the numbers.
The Spurs are showing the Thunder what it feels like for the rest of the league to play Oklahoma City
San Antonio’s success against the Thunder is genuinely jarring when compared to how OKC has played against the rest of the league. Heading into the Christmas Day matchup, the Thunder offense was second-best in the NBA, averaging 121.9 points per game, and their defense was best in the league, allowing just 107 per outing.
Against non-Spurs teams, those numbers jump to even more impressive heights. In 28 games not played against the Spurs this year, the Thunder are averaging 123.8 points per game and giving up just 106.1 points.
But in three matchups against San Antonio, those numbers are essentially flipped, with OKC averaging just 107 points of offense and giving up 119.3 per game.
San Antonio’s run of success against the Thunder is a true team effort
While Victor Wembanyama's star power is impossible to ignore, it’s worth pointing out that none of the Spurs’ three wins over the Thunder have come via one player’s individual dominance. Just five players have cleared 30 points against Oklahoma City’s impressive defense this year—none of those players are on the Spurs, and none of those players have won their game.
On Christmas, De’Aaron Fox put up 29 points against OKC, marking the highest total a Spur had posted against them this year, but the other leaders across the scoreboard were Wembanyama (11 rebounds) and Stephon Castle (seven assists).
Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander acknowledged that the Spurs’ ability to play as a unit was elevating their game, similar to the way that the 2024-25 Thunder played to a level greater than the sum of their parts.
“That’s a good basketball team,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after the loss on Thursday. “They know how to play. They have talent. They play the right way. They play together. When you mix those things together for any basketball team, you win games. ... They’ve been better than us three times now.”
For fans who have watched the success the Thunder have had over the rest of the league, the thought of any team being “better” than them is tough to comprehend. But as SGA noted, the results don’t lie, and right now the Spurs are up 3–0 in the season series.
Oklahoma City will have its next chance to get a win back against San Antonio on Jan. 13.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Stunning Numbers Behind the Spurs’ Dominance Over Thunder to Start 2025-26 Season.
