The paradox of Wembanyama

There was plenty of intrigue – and even more anticipation – around the game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder. First, because it pitted two teams sitting near the top of the Western Conference. And second, because the Texans were one of the very few teams that had already managed to beat the defending champions this season. That came in Las Vegas, against all expectations, with a win in the NBA Cup semifinals before they were left tasting heartbreak and falling just short against the Knicks in the final. Even so, Victor Wembanyama and company had handed the Thunder one of just three losses on their record before this game. That alone explained the sense of drama surrounding a matchup fuelled by revenge – and even more so by a desire for validation.

Against that backdrop, the Thunder arrived in Texas in what was, ironically, their worst stretch of the season for a team that simply keeps winning: a 2–2 record over their previous four games, having briefly stood at 1–2 after also losing to the Timberwolves in Minnesota. That meant the Warriors’ mythical 73–9 record was suddenly under genuine threat, and something once considered untouchable could slip away if certain players failed to sharpen up. Still, it hardly seemed to trouble them. The roster continues to let games roll by, convinced they are on course to regain top spot in the Western Conference – and the NBA as a whole. That would secure home-court advantage in the playoffs come late April, setting up another title push and a chance to repeat, something no team has managed in the world’s best league since the Warriors did it in 2018. Since then, seven seasons and seven different champions, with no clear dynasty. Remarkable times.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander arrived at San Antonio’s AT&T Center like a relentless force, riding a streak of 100 consecutive games scoring at least 20 points – the second-longest run in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain. Wembanyama, meanwhile, came in carrying some physical concerns. Injuries once again threaten – as they did last season – his chances of reaching the crucial 65-game threshold required to be eligible for individual awards, something closely tied to legacy in the American game. In recent outings he has come off the bench with minute restrictions, yet even that has been enough for the Texans to come out ahead. The star duel was clearly not on equal footing, but the Frenchman was determined to do everything possible to push his team toward another win. You can question many things about him – effort and commitment are not among them.

And once again, it was the Spurs who prevailed. Just as they had in the NBA Cup semifinals, becoming the first team to beat the reigning champions twice this season. The 33 points from Gilgeous-Alexander – once again making the extraordinary seem routine – were not enough, and the star guard was left too isolated to truly challenge a cohesive, confident unit that clearly enjoys itself on the floor. The Thunder simply played with less conviction. San Antonio flirted with 45% from three-point range, got 20 points from Harrison Barnes, 24 from Stephon Castle and 25 off the bench from Keldon Johnson (5-of-9 from deep), and also benefited from a quieter but still meaningful contribution from a still-hampered Wembanyama: 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in 23 minutes – another example of his ability, worth repeating, to maximize every minute he plays. The Thunder are slowly drifting away from 73–9, from record-chasing bravado and from eternal benchmarks, which are eternal for a reason. The Spurs, meanwhile, just keep going. For them, the sky really is the limit... and even when Wemby is not at his best, he’s still better than enough.

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San Antonio Spurs

Stats

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

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
40 Harrison Barnes	25	20	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	6/6	4/5	2/4	0	0	0
24 Devin Vassell	27	17	5	2	3	1	0	0	0	2/2	3/6	3/8	0	0	0
7 Luke Kornet	25	8	5	4	1	3	0	1	2	2/2	3/3	0/0	0	0	0
5 Stephon Castle	27	24	0	0	0	3	2	1	0	6/6	3/6	4/6	0	4	0
4 De'Aaron Fox	33	6	3	0	3	9	0	0	0	0/4	3/5	0/4	0	2	0
18 Bismack Biyombo	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	1/1	0/0	0	0	0
11 Carter Bryant	2	2	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0/0	1/1	0/0	0	0	0
30 Julian Champagnie	22	4	10	0	10	0	2	1	1	0/0	2/3	0/3	0	0	0
2 Dylan Harper	20	4	3	0	3	10	0	5	0	0/0	2/3	0/0	0	1	0
3 Keldon Johnson	22	25	1	0	1	1	1	0	0	0/0	5/7	5/9	0	3	0
0 Jordan McLaughlin	2	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0/0	1/1	0/0	0	0	0
8 Kelly Olynyk	2	1	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	1/2	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
10 Jeremy Sochan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
43 Lindy Waters III	2	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	1/1	0	0	0
1 Victor Wembanyama	23	12	5	3	2	3	3	0	0	1/2	4/8	1/1	0	3	0

Oklahoma City Thunder

Stats

7 Chet Holmgren
8 Jalen Williams
55 Isaiah Hartenstein
5 Luguentz Dort
2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
23 Brooks Barnhizer
15 Branden Carlson
9 Alex Caruso
11 Isaiah Joe
22 Cason Wallace
21 Aaron Wiggins
34 Kenrich Williams
3 Chris Youngblood

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
7 Chet Holmgren	27	7	3	0	3	1	0	0	1	0/0	2/7	1/3	0	1	0
8 Jalen Williams	31	17	6	1	5	8	3	2	0	0/0	7/14	1/4	0	3	0
55 Isaiah Hartenstein	25	8	12	5	7	0	3	0	0	0/0	4/7	0/0	0	5	0
5 Luguentz Dort	26	15	2	0	2	0	1	0	0	0/0	0/0	5/8	0	4	0
2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	35	33	3	1	2	8	2	0	0	4/5	13/18	1/4	0	2	0
23 Brooks Barnhizer	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0/0	0/1	0/0	0	0	0
15 Branden Carlson	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	1	0
9 Alex Caruso	18	2	5	1	4	1	2	0	0	0/0	1/1	0/2	0	1	0
11 Isaiah Joe	15	8	4	1	3	1	0	1	0	2/2	0/0	2/3	0	0	0
22 Cason Wallace	25	4	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0/0	2/2	0/4	0	0	0
21 Aaron Wiggins	11	3	0	0	0	1	1	0	1	0/0	0/0	1/1	0	0	0
34 Kenrich Williams	13	10	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	0/0	5/5	0/0	0	0	0
3 Chris Youngblood	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	1/1	0	0	0