The Thunder are looking to avoid off-season changes to their biggest threat in the Spurs

Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says the San Antonio Spurs are the better team after their third loss in 12 days, which crystallized the young up-and-comers as the biggest threat to the defending Western Conference champions. All-Star center Victor Vembanyama and The Spurs remind Jalen Williams of the young Thunder the team.

But which — the team that went on an unexpected championship run last season, or the one that ran away with Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the 2024 playoffs? Against the Thunder are the Spurs closer to the previous ones rather than the latter.

“They kind of remind me of my sophomore year. The way they play together, and they get it as a team,” Williams said after the 117-102 loss on Christmas Day. “They all do a good job in their role, and they’re okay with it, which is fun to play against. It definitely gives us a lot to learn about that. So that’s pretty cool.”

While Gilgeous-Alexander’s reaction to three convincing losses to the same team in less than two weeks was a declaration of sorts, Williams’ comments came off like an older brother complimenting his younger sibling who was praised for his excellent taste. Still, a compliment, but far from marking the Spurs as a legitimate threat to the Thunder’s chances of repeating as champions.

Tuesday’s match is not just a test; it’s a test for the defending champion Thunder. We wait to see head coach Marc Daigneault and the defending champions make the appropriate adjustments against a healthy Spurs side led by Wembanjama. San Antonio is coming off impressive wins against the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics since their last matchup against the Thunder.

And while the Spurs have lost half of their last 10 games, they tend to bring their A-game against the NBA’s elite teams, led, of course, by their December three-pointer over the Thunder. San Antonio is the only team to beat the defending champion more than once this season.

“Obviously it sucks to be on the other side, but to watch another team — throughout the history of basketball — that has always found a way to figure out how to improve. That’s the biggest thing,” Williams added. “They’re connected — it shows. Guys are stepping up, making big plays. Everybody’s kind of settled into their role. So that’s what makes them solid.”

“Then when Victor is out there defensively, he covers up a lot of their mistakes, which makes our offensive progression that much more important,” Williams concluded.

The Thunder’s offensive counter will be critical against a team with the third-best defensive rating (112.0) in the NBA. While Oklahoma City still leads the Spurs and Detroit Pistons (110.5), with a 106.9 defensive rating, that number rises to 119.3 against San Antonio.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says the Spurs are better than the Thunder

Offensively, the plethora of Spurs guards covering the floor on the opposite side of the floor sparked offense against the Thunder, as De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Kendon Johnson and Dylan Harper picked apart OKC’s defense. While they put together defensive stops, the Spurs guard’s mix of attacking the rim in open spaces, along with consistent 3-point shooting, led the Thunder to the wrong end of a double-digit deficit.

The Spurs demonstrated a master class in knocking the Thunder out of the game. Even with Wembanyama coming off the bench, starters Luke Cornett, Harrison Barnes and Devin Vassell held down the frontcourt — protecting the rim and defending the perimeter, forcing the Thunder to attempt 44 three-point attempts, of which Oklahoma City connected on just 11 (25%).

San Antonio’s Christmas win followed a 130-110 loss on Dec. 23, two days before the Spurs handed the Thunder another loss two days later. None of that sat well with Gilgeous-Alexander, who delivered a sobering truth during his media availability after the game.

“We have to get better as a group. You can’t lose to a team three times in a row in a short period of time without them being better than you,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We have to be better. Look in the mirror, and that’s everyone from top to bottom, if we want to achieve our ultimate goal.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: “We have to get better as a group. You don’t lose to a team three times in a row in a short period of time without them being better than you.

We have to do better. Look in the mirror, and they are all from top to bottom, if we want to achieve our ultimate goal” pic.twitter.com/g6tBBkGhOZ

— Joshua Pavon (@joe_svai) December 25, 2025

While Gilgeous-Alexander’s 22 points led the Thunder in scoring, it took him 19 shots to get there as the Spurs defense troubled the reigning MVP to find his offensive rhythm. Chet Holmgren failed to attempt 10 shots, finishing 5-of-9 from the floor two days after San Antonio limited his touches, forcing him to go 3-for-10.

San Antonio took advantage of Holmgren’s offensive struggles, making him a non-factor. At the same time, Wembanyama has anchored the defense in a limited role, which will expand into his usual workload for the first time against the Thunder this season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t focused on the Spurs’ success

For Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder, there is no heightened focus on playing the Spurs compared to the rest of the regular season schedule. however, Gilgeous-Alexander knows the challenge ahead will determine if the Thunder can prove its improvement over the past two weeks is enough to beat the Spurs for the first time in four tries.

At the risk of sounding wishy-washy, Gilgeous-Alexander revealed that yes he didn’t think about the duel on Tuesday against the only team to give the Thunder three losses in a season since the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023-24.

“I haven’t thought about it yet, but since we’re here, we have to win,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s like any other night. You wake up and you want to win a basketball game. Now, obviously, a very good team that beat us recently. It should be fun. It should be competitive. We have to go out there and do all the things necessary to win the game, and if we don’t, we’re probably going to lose.”

And it’s not just the fact that Spurs beat the Thunder three times in 12 days with a limited Vembanyama coming off the bench, it’s how they did it. In demoralizing fashion, San Antonio pushed Oklahoma City in Las Vegas, home and at the Pike Center as a Christmas present, stating that we are a problem that the Thunder have yet to solve this season.

The stage is set for the Thunder to fight back against the only team that has found a way to dominate the defending champions on multiple occasions. The Thunder, with the 2025 championship banner hanging from the rafters at the Pike Center, will look to beat the Spurs for the first time this season.