The Oklahoma City Thunder aren’t just defending champions - they’re setting the pace again this season, and the rest of the league is watching. Among those paying close attention? Harrison Barnes and the San Antonio Spurs, who are embracing every chance to test themselves against the NBA’s current gold standard.
“We’re on a collision course with this team,” Barnes said ahead of the Spurs’ Christmas Day showdown with OKC - their third meeting in just over two weeks.
That collision course isn’t just about matchups. It’s about identity.
The Spurs, still in the thick of their rebuild, are looking to define who they are against the kind of team they hope to become. And there’s no better litmus test than the Thunder, who’ve turned potential into production in a hurry.
“Obviously, OKC is a good team,” Barnes continued. “They’ve had an unbelievable couple of years, and as we continue to just build and grow what we’re trying to do here, I think it’s a great way to keep us sharp.”
The Spurs and Thunder last clashed in the NBA Cup semifinals - a rare blemish on Oklahoma City’s record, marking just their second loss in their first 26 games. Now, with another meeting lined up on Christmas, San Antonio gets another crack at the champs. And for Barnes, that’s exactly the kind of challenge this young Spurs team needs.
“Playing them, playing them again in a couple of days, playing them again after playing them in the Cup, right?” Barnes said. “It’s good for us to continue to get these opportunities to have this preparation.”
It’s more than just a string of games. The NBA seems to be nudging a potential rivalry into the spotlight - and Barnes isn’t pushing back on that idea. With two young, hungry cores in the same conference, the ingredients are there.
“Both teams have young nucleuses that want to win and want to play at a high level, both in the West,” Barnes said. “So I think in order to achieve the ultimate goal, which is to hang another banner, we’re both pursuing the same thing. So, yeah, I mean, you could see that.”
Still, Barnes is quick to point out the obvious: OKC has already reached the mountaintop. The Spurs are still climbing.
“Obviously, they won a championship last year. They’re healthy,” he said. “When you have two teams that have high aspirations of where they want to go and what they want to do… and obviously, I think the age factor too, right?”
Barnes, now in his 14th NBA season at age 33, is the outlier in a Spurs locker room full of 20-somethings. That youth, though, brings a certain level of familiarity - players who’ve crossed paths in high school, college, or AAU circuits - and that familiarity, Barnes believes, fuels the fire.
“Outside of myself, most of these guys are all around the same age,” he said. “So there’s just familiarity built within them.”
Last season, the Spurs managed to steal one game from OKC, while the Thunder took the other three. And while two of those matchups were tightly contested, the Spurs’ campaign was ultimately derailed by season-ending injuries to Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox. Still, Barnes sees the competitive edge between these teams growing with every meeting.
"We're on a collision course with this team..."
— Hector Ledesma (@HectorLedesmaTV) December 23, 2025
-Harrison Barnes on the Thunder ahead of tonight's second #Spurs meeting of the season with OKC
⬇️Full response, including his thoughts on the #NBA building this match-up as a rivalry. They meet again Thursday#GoSpursGo #PorVida pic.twitter.com/bcqCcEtBpk
“I think it’s the familiarity,” he said. “We’ve played OKC a lot in the past years. There’s that competition, and both teams wanting more.”
Right now, the Thunder are the measuring stick. For San Antonio, these back-to-back matchups are more than just another spot on the calendar - they’re a chance to see how far they’ve come, and how far they still have to go.
“I think it allows you to see what your will is,” Barnes said. “And I think the details start to become known on both sides.
And I think when you start doing that, it gives you, not necessarily a playoff series type of vibe, but you start to become very familiar with your opponent. How they play, they know how we play, and it just becomes a who just wants it more.”
And that’s the kind of test Barnes welcomes - one that could pay dividends down the road if the Spurs hope to take the same path the Thunder did not long ago.