Oklahoma City had been winning all year – so why did this night feel different?

The Thunder hosted the Spurs in Oklahoma for what might have looked like just another regular-season game – one of those nights that can get lost in a calendar that sometimes feels endless. Except this one was anything but routine.The defending champions arrived with a 33–7 record, firmly in control of the Western Conference and the entire NBA. Yet across from them stood the team that had changed everything on December 13 in Las Vegas, in the semifinals of the NBA Cup – a tournament the Thunder seemed destined to win. Back then, their record was 24–1. It quickly became 24–2. From that point on, they went 9–6, with a feel entirely different from the season’s opening weeks, when they looked untouchable and the Warriors’ mythical 73–9 record briefly felt within reach. That talk, in truth, has long since faded.

Two games later came another loss, this time to the Timberwolves. Then, after a hollow win over the Grizzlies, two more defeats followed – both against the Spurs. One in San Antonio by 20 points (130–120), and another in Oklahoma by 15 (117–102). A stark contrast with the midseason tournament meeting, a tight 111–109 Spurs win that could be dismissed as a fluke. The trend was alarming for a team still favored to repeat as champions in an NBA that has crowned seven different winners in the past seven years, and that continues to live off the remnants of what was once the Warriors dynasty. Worse still, the Thunder were not at their best, dropping two more straight games to the Suns and Hornets – the latter a brutal 27-point home loss (124–97). Everything felt off.

The Spurs, by contrast, arrived relaxed and upbeat, with nothing to lose. A win would further dent the Thunder’s confidence and bring first place within reach – no longer an impossible target. A loss would still leave them with the memory of three previous victories and the quiet assurance that, should a playoff series materialize, they had already shown they could handle it. All of it flowed through Victor Wembanyama, but also through a remarkably balanced roster, full of poise and harmony, allowing the franchise to boast the most captivating basketball on the planet. Youth, fresh legs, efficiency on both ends of the floor, and the conviction that the playoffs were finally coming again for the first time since 2019 – along with the sense that they could honor the legacy of the Spurs teams built by Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich, which lifted a former ABA franchise to the very top of the NBA.

In the end, the Thunder snapped, surged, and took their revenge with a commanding 117–98 win, flexing their muscles and finally slaying their bogey team. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander owned the night, reclaiming his throne and reminding everyone why he is the reigning MVP. The guard finished with 34 points, five rebounds, and five assists on 12-of-19 shooting, 1-of-4 from deep, and 11-of-13 at the line, imposing his elegance and authority on a crowd eager to see the Spurs put away. San Antonio stayed close at halftime (55–52), but a devastating 40–24 third quarter broke the game open, with the champions stretching the lead to as many as 24. Wembanyama led the Spurs with 20 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists – nowhere near enough on a night like this. Oklahoma City made its statement, reaffirmed its championship credentials, and reminded the league of its true level. And in doing so, they sent a chill through everyone else. Farewell to the bogey team.

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Oklahoma City Thunder

Stats

21 Aaron Wiggins
8 Jalen Williams
7 Chet Holmgren
2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
22 Cason Wallace
9 Alex Caruso
13 Ousmane Dieng
11 Isaiah Joe
25 Ajay Mitchell
6 Jaylin Williams
34 Kenrich Williams
3 Chris Youngblood

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
21 Aaron Wiggins	26	5	5	0	5	4	1	0	2	0/0	1/1	1/5	0	0	0
8 Jalen Williams	30	20	0	0	0	3	3	2	0	2/2	9/15	0/0	0	2	0
7 Chet Holmgren	25	8	10	1	9	0	1	0	3	6/6	1/2	0/2	0	3	0
2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	33	34	5	0	5	5	2	0	4	11/13	10/19	1/4	0	2	0
22 Cason Wallace	23	6	1	0	1	1	0	3	0	0/0	0/0	2/3	0	3	0
9 Alex Caruso	19	13	2	0	2	4	0	1	0	1/1	3/4	2/4	0	2	0
13 Ousmane Dieng	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
11 Isaiah Joe	14	8	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0/0	1/1	2/2	0	1	0
25 Ajay Mitchell	30	11	6	2	4	4	3	1	0	3/3	4/6	0/2	0	4	0
6 Jaylin Williams	22	11	10	2	8	5	0	0	2	1/2	2/3	2/7	0	3	0
34 Kenrich Williams	14	3	2	0	2	0	1	0	0	0/0	0/0	1/1	0	3	0
3 Chris Youngblood	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0

San Antonio Spurs

Stats

40 Harrison Barnes
30 Julian Champagnie
1 Victor Wembanyama
5 Stephon Castle
4 De'Aaron Fox
18 Bismack Biyombo
11 Carter Bryant
2 Dylan Harper
3 Keldon Johnson
7 Luke Kornet
0 Jordan McLaughlin
8 Kelly Olynyk
10 Jeremy Sochan
43 Lindy Waters III

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
40 Harrison Barnes	23	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0/0	1/2	0/5	0	2	0
30 Julian Champagnie	34	13	6	1	5	1	0	0	1	1/3	0/1	4/9	0	2	0
1 Victor Wembanyama	27	17	7	4	3	1	1	0	1	3/6	7/14	0/1	0	2	0
5 Stephon Castle	36	20	7	0	7	8	5	1	0	5/7	3/8	3/5	0	3	0
4 De'Aaron Fox	33	14	5	0	5	5	2	1	0	2/2	3/4	2/5	0	5	0
18 Bismack Biyombo	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
11 Carter Bryant	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
2 Dylan Harper	25	12	3	0	3	3	1	0	0	4/4	1/4	2/3	0	2	0
3 Keldon Johnson	20	9	3	1	2	0	1	0	0	0/0	3/6	1/5	0	4	0
7 Luke Kornet	20	8	8	6	2	1	1	2	0	2/2	3/7	0/0	0	3	0
0 Jordan McLaughlin	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/1	0/0	0	0	0
8 Kelly Olynyk	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
10 Jeremy Sochan	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
43 Lindy Waters III	13	3	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0/0	0/1	1/4	0	2	0