4 keys to OKC’s first victory over the Spurs

Oklahoma City The Thunder will look to avoid the seasonal swing in the hands San Antonio Spurs and avenge three losses to the team with the second best record in the Western Conference. Must-wins aren’t in the Thunder’s vocabulary, but fighting back against a team that embarrassed the defending champions twice in 48 hours, including on their home floor on Christmas Day, is a must.

It should be an organic development for the Thunder, who, to some, haven’t taken the Spurs as seriously as a team on the rise from the south, led by a 7-foot-6 phenom on his way to becoming the face of the NBA. If you thought Oklahoma City lost three times in 12 days because the game “meant more” to the Spurs than to the defending champions, that excuse no longer applies.

Especially after the Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander called the Spurs the better team between the two, setting the stage for an exciting fourth installment of the league’s newest rivalry with the 2025 Finals championship banner set above, here are four keys to a Thunder victory against the Spurs.

Victor Vembanyama says there is no comparison between him and Thunder forward Chet Holmgren. if you ask Holmgren will say that the players don’t decide the rivalry. If you watch the video, Wembanjama and the Spurs rattle the Thunder like no other team, especially recently, in the middle of Chet’s breakout season. In his career against the Spurs, he is averaging 13.9 points on 48.8% shooting, 7.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.

After Chatt finished with 17 points on 3-of-8 shooting and went 10-for-12 from the free-throw line in a 111-109 NBA Cup semifinal loss, he scored another 17 points against the Spurs, but over a two-game stretch. Holmgren looked his worst in the Thunder’s pair of losses to San Antonio on Dec. 23 and Christmas Day. He combined for 8-of-19 shooting and went to charity once as the Spurs shut him out completely.

What stands out the most is not just how the Spurs manage to take away Holmgren’s space, but the level of physicality that comes with it. Vembanjama and Spurs corrected their coverage of Chet, playing him clean and straight, without fouling. Holmgren has to fight back. The Thunder should introduce him on offense early and often — whatever it takes to get him moving.

2. Limiting Spurs’ De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle

Spurs rookies De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell aren’t just score-first guards who can create off the dribble and defend at a high level — they’re also playmakers, which makes slowing them down even more difficult for the Thunder. Add the 3-pointer to their game and you see another of the many facets that make the Spurs offense flow in a hurry. Keldon Johnson will likely start for Wassell, who has been ruled out for Tuesday’s game.

The Thunder’s defense has to make things difficult for Fox and Castle, the straw that powers the Spurs’ dynamic offense, led by All-Star Victor Wembanjam, who scores in every way possible for the Spurs. However, disrupting the backfield is key to slowing everything down.

The efficient backcourt is a big reason why the Spurs rank in the top 5 in the NBA in fewest turnovers per game (13.7), trailing only the second-place Thunder with 12.2. Against the Spurs, turnovers weren’t a problem for the Thunder, who committed just seven in a 117-102 loss on Christmas Day.

3. Defense in transition amid the Spurs fast break

Stopping the bleeding when the Spurs are rolling downhill has left the Thunder with double-digit deficits in all three games in December, and they will need to tighten up their defense in transition or the same thing will happen again on Tuesday. The Spurs took advantage of the Thunder’s missed shots by attacking with hustle, speed, the tenacity of their guards and the shooting of All-Star Victor Wembanyama, who doesn’t exactly “stop it.”

Instead, Alex Caruso is hoping the Thunder can mitigate the damage, because he found out how it is learned the hard way why you should not plan to limit Vembanyama one to one.

“Play him, obviously, don’t go 1-on-1. Well, I say that — I played that last game, he got a layup,” Caruso said. “I think you’ve got to be smart. You’ve got to be smart with your offense like any good defender. If you’ve got a great Jrue Holiday or Tony Allen, you’re not going to try to play one-on-one from the wing; that’s not a very good option for you.

“Try to move him, get him out of his shell, get him all the way; just find different ways to put him in positions that aren’t beneficial for him, but are for us.”

Vembanjama, who has been on a minutes restriction due to a knee injury, is averaging 17.6 points on 54.3% shooting, including 4-for-5 from deep, 8.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 23.3 minutes against the Thunder this season. Caruso knows the Thunder will have their hands full in Tuesday’s matchup at the Paicom Centre, which will be the first time Wembaniama is expected to start without a minutes restriction against the Thunder this season.

4. The Thunder must contend with the physical nature of the Spurs

It’s hard to get under Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s skin, which is why seeing him shove Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanyama in the first quarter after scoring on him was such a surprise. Nobody knows what was said, but watching Gilgeous-Alexander get flustered so early against Wembanyama was scary, but Spurs followed his lead.

Every possession for Thunder forward Chet Holmgren came with an extra kick here, and tough competition there, from Wembanyama, sometimes with words, other times with stubborn boxing that sent Holmgren to the ground. The Thunder will miss their starting center Isaiah Hartenstein, who usually matches that energy on both ends of the floor.

However, the defending champions must find a way to increase their physicality, forcing the Spurs to work harder on every offensive possession. Reserve center Jaylin Williams, who played his first game since Dec. 13 when the Spurs eliminated the Thunder in the NBA Cup semifinals, will see an increase in minutes against the Spurs on Tuesday.