The Oklahoma City Thunder have looked like one of the NBA’s elite all season long, but their journey hasn’t been without turbulence-and no team has rattled their cage quite like the San Antonio Spurs.
Across four matchups this season, San Antonio has taken three wins off Oklahoma City, including a key NBA Cup semifinal victory that did more than just knock the Thunder out of the tournament. It gave the rest of the league a defensive blueprint-and for a stretch, that formula worked.
How the Spurs Cracked the Code
The most telling moment came under the bright lights in Las Vegas. In a tightly contested NBA Cup semifinal, the Spurs edged out the Thunder 111-109, handing OKC just their second loss of the season and snapping a 16-game winning streak. At that point, the Thunder were rolling at 24-2, boasting the second-best start in league history behind only the 2015-16 Warriors.
But the Spurs weren’t intimidated. They leaned into a game plan that prioritized disruption over domination.
Instead of trying to stop Shai Gilgeous-Alexander outright-a tall order for any defense-they focused on making him uncomfortable. They clogged driving lanes, shaded help early, and dared OKC’s supporting cast to beat them.
It worked. Even though Gilgeous-Alexander still dropped 29 points in that Cup loss, the Spurs made him work for every bucket.
The rhythm that usually defines Oklahoma City’s late-game execution? It never quite showed up.
And it wasn’t a one-off. San Antonio kept the pressure on in subsequent matchups, winning three of the four meetings before the Thunder finally responded with a win on January 14.
The Defensive Blueprint: Crowd SGA, Shift the Burden
What San Antonio did wasn’t revolutionary, but it was effective. They overloaded on Gilgeous-Alexander, forcing him into early decisions and cutting off the space he typically uses to operate in isolation. The goal wasn’t to shut him down-it was to wear him down.
By forcing the ball out of his hands, the Spurs put the onus on players like Luguentz Dort, Alex Caruso, and other key role players. Defensively, those guys are rock solid.
Offensively? They’re not primary creators built to carry the load for extended stretches.
And when the Thunder were asked to win games without their usual dose of Shai magic down the stretch, they stumbled.
That’s where the ripple effect came in. Other teams took notes.
They saw how the Spurs tilted the floor and followed suit. For a brief stretch in the middle of the season, Oklahoma City looked vulnerable-still dangerous, but no longer invincible.
Adjustments Made, But the Message Was Sent
To their credit, the Thunder adjusted. They eventually closed the season series with a win over San Antonio, showing the kind of resilience you expect from a title contender.
But by then, the damage was done. The league had seen the Thunder bleed.
This doesn’t mean Oklahoma City isn’t still one of the favorites to win it all. They absolutely are.
The talent, the chemistry, the coaching-it’s all there. But what the Spurs exposed is that even the best teams can be pushed out of their comfort zone.
And come playoff time, when every possession tightens and every weakness gets magnified, that crack in the armor could be the opening another contender needs.
The Thunder are still in the driver’s seat. But thanks to San Antonio, the rest of the league has a map.