Spurs are embarrassing world champions Thunder this season. On Christmas Day in Oklahoma City, the Spurs defeated the Thunder for the third straight time. San Antonio made a statement with efficient shooting and balanced scoring, while Oklahoma City struggled to find a consistent offense beyond Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. OKC can’t execute its bread and butter against San Antonio: they can’t force turnovers, they can’t cover the paint, and they can’t control shooters. The Spurs, on the other hand, slowed down OKC and won on their terms: only four of 19 three-point attempts from Lu Dort and Alex Caruso found the net, while Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and the rest of the Thunder were all held to 13 or fewer points.
Final: Spurs (23-7) final. Thunder (26-5), 117-102
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC with 22 points on 7/19 shooting, his least efficient performance against San Antonio this season.
- OKC was suppressed for violation. 38.9% shooting and 11-44 from distance.
- Meanwhile, San Antonio shot 53.6% from the field and 37.9% from distance.
- De’Aaron Fox was dominant for the Spurs with 29 points on 12/19 shooting. Just like Victor Wembanyama, who added 19 points and 11 rebounds in less than 26 minutes. And the rest of San Antonio’s entire nine-man rotation made solid contributions throughout the game.
- San Antonio is now just 2.5 games behind Oklahoma City in the Western Conference standings.
- Caruso suggested that effort and discipline are underlying issues for OKC despite its 26-5 record. Psychotic competition is Caruso’s forte and is certainly part of the Thunder’s DNA, but there’s more to the field than hustle (see: Caruso’s shooting line above).
- The Spurs are the most bizarre underdog/Cinderella story in sports I have ever seen. They’ve assembled by far the most hyped core of prospects ever: four top-10 picks in four consecutive drafts, including the best prospect ever. Three right top 4 picks, including the best prospect ever. And yet they’re seen as an “ethical” counterbalance to the Thunder, who have built a supposedly unfair roster… with far worse picks and less dramatic fueling. The Internet is turning on everyone, and they will turn on San Antonio in earnest once they finally realize that they are a lot more like Goliath than David.
One key takeaway: the rivalry is here
OKC won a title and San Antonio failed to win its first playoff series. But this isn’t just an upstart team irritating a juggernaut thanks to some matchup advantages and scheduling luck. The Thunder have won their non-Spurs games this season by an average points differential of +14.1. They lost to the Spurs by an average of 12.3 points per game. On a neutral field, on the road and at home. It’s not a fluke. The Thunder will have to catch up with the Spurs sooner or later.
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