The Spurs and Thunder wasted no time turning Opening Night into a flashpoint.
In the second quarter, with 9:21 left, De'Aaron Fox forcefully threw Chet Holmgren to the floor while trying to gain the upper hand defending the Oklahoma City big man. That immediately brought the two teams together, with Jaylin Williams stepping in to defend his teammate and shoving Fox out of the way.
Things start to get chippy between the Thunder and Spurs 👀
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 21, 2026
The NBA is so back! pic.twitter.com/uumX58N7VF
From there, things escalated fast. Victor Wembanyama jumped into the mix with a pushing match against Jaylin Williams, and both Jalen Williams and Kenrich Williams got involved as the confrontation spread.
After a review, officials handed Fox a flagrant foul 1 for the unnecessary shove to the ground on Holmgren. Wembanyama and three Thunder players - Jaylin Williams, Jalen Williams and Kenrich Williams - each received technical fouls.
The dustup added another chapter to a rivalry that has been building around Wembanyama and Holmgren, two young frontcourt stars who have been matched against each other since entering the league. As the tension has grown between them, it has also started to spill over to their teammates.
The source of that bad blood got even bigger in the 2026 Western Conference Finals, when the Spurs beat Oklahoma City in seven games and ended the Thunder’s bid for back-to-back championships.
With both teams entering the 2026-27 season viewed as two of the NBA’s best, an Opening Night collision like this always felt possible. On this night, it showed up in the form of a full-on second-quarter scrap.
In Other News...
Aday Mara Just Gave Thunder Fans A First Real Reason To Believe
Aday Mara did not need long to make an impression in his first Thunder action of the 2026 NBA season opener. The rookie center, taken No. 12 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft, fit right into a frontcourt rotation that already includes Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, and he found a way to stand out in a game against San Antonio by making his presence felt around the basket.
Midway through the third quarter, with Oklahoma City already in control, Mara helped deliver one of the nights best sequences. He swatted Victor Wembanyama near the rim, then turned around and finished an alley-oop from Ajay Mitchell, a burst of rim protection and finishing touch that gave Thunder fans a real glimpse of why the organization is so intrigued by him. [Read more 🡒]
Chet Holmgren Sparks Early Thunder Spurs Tension On Opening Night
Opening night between the Thunder and Spurs took a sharp turn when Chet Holmgren found himself on the floor after a hard sequence involving DeAaron Fox, and both benches quickly emptied in response. What had been an early-season showcase between two teams with plenty of buzz became a chippy, physical scene in a hurry, with the officials moving in to calm things down before play could continue.
Once order was restored, the game resumed with San Antonio still chasing Oklahoma City in the second quarter. The incident added an edge to a matchup already rich with intrigue, especially with Victor Wembanyama on the floor and the Thunders young core right in the middle of the fray, a reminder that this rivalry may not need much time to boil over again. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Face A Real Opening Night Lineup Decision Vs Spurs
The Thunder open the season against the Spurs with an unfamiliar look, and not just because it is a new year. Oklahoma City is heading into its first game without Lu Dort since the 2018-19 season, a notable shift for a team that has relied on his defensive presence for years. Add in the roster turnover from trading Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe, and there is a real sense that the defending group has to sort out some early chemistry on the fly.
Cason Wallace is in position to be part of that solution after his five-year extension, giving the Thunder another piece to build around in the backcourt. The timing makes the opener especially interesting because San Antonio is expected to use a three-guard setup with De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper, so Oklahoma City will have to decide how it wants to line up against a very different kind of backcourt challenge right out of the gate. [Read more 🡒]