The Oklahoma City Thunder are rolling through just about everyone this season - except the San Antonio Spurs. And after a third straight loss to the Spurs, this one coming on Christmas Day, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t sugarcoat the situation.
“You don't lose to a team three times in a row in a short span without them being better than you,” the reigning NBA MVP said Thursday. “We have to get better. We have to look in the mirror - and that's everybody, from top to bottom - if we want to reach our ultimate goal.”
That kind of accountability from your franchise cornerstone says a lot. Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t just talking about effort or execution - he’s calling for a top-to-bottom self-assessment. And frankly, it’s warranted.
The Thunder are 26-2 against the rest of the NBA. That’s elite.
But against San Antonio? 0-3.
And these aren’t nail-biters - the latest loss was a 15-point defeat at home, just 48 hours after the Spurs had already taken them down in San Antonio. Add in the earlier loss in the NBA Cup semifinals on a neutral floor, and the pattern is hard to ignore.
This isn’t just a bad matchup - it’s a wake-up call.
To be clear, the Spurs aren’t sneaking up on anyone. At 23-7, they’ve got the second-best record in the West, and they’re playing like a team that knows exactly who it is.
They’re balanced, disciplined, and dangerous. And Gilgeous-Alexander sees that.
“They're just a good basketball team,” he said. “They know how to play, they have talent, they play the right way, they play together. When you mix those things together for any basketball team, you win games.”
That’s not just praise - that’s recognition of a formula the Thunder are aspiring to perfect themselves.
Individually, Gilgeous-Alexander had a quieter night by his standards in the Christmas Day loss - 22 points on 7-of-19 shooting, including just 1-of-6 from deep. He was far more efficient in the previous two matchups, scoring 33 and 29 points, but even then, it wasn’t enough to tip the scales.
So what’s the takeaway?
For a Thunder team that’s been dominant against almost everyone else, San Antonio is the measuring stick they didn’t expect - and maybe the one they needed. It’s easy to ride high on a 26-2 record, but the Spurs have exposed some cracks that OKC will need to patch if they’re serious about chasing a title.
This isn’t a crisis - it’s a checkpoint. And Gilgeous-Alexander, as the leader of this young, talented squad, is making sure the message is clear: greatness doesn’t come without growth. And sometimes, growth starts with a hard look in the mirror.