Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs are starting to figure something out-and it’s coming at the expense of one of the NBA’s best teams.
In a 117-102 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, Wembanyama delivered another well-rounded performance, putting up 19 points, 11 rebounds, and two assists. It marked San Antonio’s third victory over the defending champs in just a couple of weeks, and notably, the Spurs remain the only team to hand OKC multiple double-digit losses this season.
After the game, Wembanyama was asked what he’d learned from facing the Thunder multiple times in a short span.
“This is like a playoff series,” he said. “We learned a lot on the tactical side… I don’t want to say too much about it.
Keep something for us. We definitely got some intelligence.”
That’s a telling quote from a 20-year-old rookie already sounding like a seasoned vet. And if these matchups really are playoff-caliber chess matches, the Spurs are quietly winning them.
Three Wins, Three Statements
This latest victory wasn’t a one-off. The Spurs have now beaten the Thunder three times in the past two weeks, and each game has told its own story.
The first came in the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas, where Wembanyama returned from a month-long absence due to a calf injury and immediately made his presence felt. San Antonio edged OKC 111-109 in that one, a gritty, back-and-forth battle that showed flashes of what Wemby could bring when healthy.
Then came Tuesday’s game in San Antonio. Through three quarters, it was another tight contest-until the Spurs exploded in the fourth, pulling away for a 130-110 win. That 20-point margin wasn’t just impressive, it was the Thunder’s worst loss of the season.
The Christmas Day showdown was more of the same. A seesaw affair through the first half turned into another Spurs takeover in the third quarter.
Harrison Barnes’ floater with just over six minutes left in the period stretched San Antonio’s lead to 85-68, and from there, they never looked back. Even when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tried to spark a comeback with a late layup to cut the deficit to 10, the Spurs answered with an 8-2 run to slam the door shut.
Beating the Thunder at Their Own Game
What makes this stretch even more eye-opening is how the Spurs are doing it-by out-defending the NBA’s best defensive team.
The Thunder entered Thursday with a league-best 104.6 defensive rating. To put that into perspective, the gap between OKC and the No.
2 Pistons (110.2) is the same as the gap between Detroit and the 22nd-ranked Trail Blazers (116.2). That’s dominance.
But the Spurs flipped the script.
They held the Thunder to just 39% shooting from the field-well below their season average of 49.0%. San Antonio’s perimeter defense was especially sharp, limiting OKC to just 25% from beyond the arc, nearly 12 percentage points below their norm.
Wembanyama, standing 7-foot-4 with arms that seem to stretch into next week, only logged one official block. But the box score doesn’t capture how many shots he altered or possessions he disrupted. When he was on the floor, the Thunder’s offense shifted noticeably-they stopped attacking the rim and settled for jumpers.
And when OKC tried to get out in transition, the Spurs were ready. Their backcourt trio of Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle, and De’Aaron Fox used their speed and anticipation to stifle the break, holding the Thunder to just seven fastbreak points.
A Glimpse of What’s to Come?
Wembanyama didn’t want to reveal too much about what the Spurs are learning from these matchups-but their play is speaking volumes.
San Antonio isn’t just competing with one of the league’s elite teams; they’re executing at a level that suggests they’re absorbing lessons quickly and applying them even faster. For a young team still finding its identity, that’s a dangerous combination.
And for Wembanyama, it’s another sign that the hype is real. He’s not just putting up numbers-he’s anchoring a team that’s starting to punch above its weight, especially on the defensive end.
If this is what the Spurs look like when they’re still in the early stages of building something, it’s fair to wonder just how high their ceiling could be once everything starts to click. And if you're the Thunder, you might already be thinking about how to adjust-because right now, San Antonio has your number.