Can the Spurs beat the Thunder for the fourth time this season? The numbers behind tonight’s Western Conference matchup
When they face the OKC Thunder today, the San Antonio Spurs will seek to emulate a feat not achieved in the NBA since 2016-17.
The San Antonio Spurs will seek to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder for the fourth time this season today, as the Western Conference’s top two teams face off in a heavyweight matchup at Paycom Center.
Chasing a first NBA title since 2014, the Spurs sit second in the West with a 27-12 record, behind the 33-7 defending champions.
Can the Spurs emulate the Bulls?
However, while the Thunder boast the best record across the NBA in 2025-26, the Spurs saw off OKC on three occasions in 13 days in December, accounting for almost half of the Western Conference leaders’ seven defeats all season.
After a 111-109 victory in the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas on Dec. 13, San Antonio then earned a 130-110 home triumph ten days later, before beating the Thunder once more (117-102) in a Christmas Day matchup in Oklahoma City.
If they win again today, the Spurs will become the first team to beat the NBA’s reigning champions four times in a single season since 2016-17, when the Chicago Bulls claimed a quartet of victories over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
According to stats published by the NBA, San Antonio would also accrue its 14th road victory of the season, surpassing the team’s total of wins on its travels throughout 2024-25.
The West's top two teams – the No. 1 Thunder and No. 2 Spurs – face off tonight at 8 PM ET on @NBAonNBC for their fourth meeting of the season.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 13, 2026
Check out five numbers to know heading into tonight's matchup. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/urchEVjhwr
“A constant conversation”
Amid injury issues, star center Victor Wembanyama was not in the starting lineup for any of the Spurs’ trio of wins over the Thunder. The Frenchman did play from the beginning against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday - only his fourth start since mid-November - but his haul of 29 points could not prevent San Antonio from suffering a 104-103 defeat. It was a loss that left Mitch Johnson’s men with a 4-5 record since they beat the Thunder on Dec. 25.
“It’s a constant conversation,” Johnson said of Wembanyama’s presence or not in the lineup, per Field Level Media. The Spurs head coach added: “He wants to start, he wants to finish, he wants to play 48 [minutes] and we’ve somehow got to figure out how to keep him happy and still play organically and help the team and do what’s right.”
The Spurs now visit a Thunder team that’s on a three-game winning run, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - the league’s reigning MVP - now on a 110-game sequence of scoring 20 or more points per matchup.
Most recently, Gilgeous-Alexander registered 29 points in a 124-112 win over the Miami Heat at the weekend.
Spurs vs Thunder: time, how to watch
The Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs meet today, Tuesday Jan. 13, 2026, with tipoff at Paycom Center scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.
In the U.S., the game will air nationally on NBC and Peacock. Your streaming options also include fubo, which offers new users a free trial.
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