Victor Wembanyama, Spurs’ ‘confidence’ reaches new high in NBA Cup win against Thunder

LAS VEGAS— Victor Vembanyama could not write his return for San Antonio Spurs from a calf injury that sidelined him for nearly a month in a better way than returns to the semi-finals of the NBA Cup against Shai Giljus-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Despite the Spurs going 9-3 in their 12 games without him, Wembanyama is the franchise’s leader. To compete at their best against the Thunder, a team that went 24-1 Saturday night in Las Vegas, head coach Mitch Johnson knew his team would need all of their pieces to contribute.

For the first time all season this team was complete and Vembanyama’s presence, despite only being off the bench for 21 minutes, was vital.

“Honestly, tonight was one of those, with all the extra emotions, the excitement, the nerves, the good and the bad, I wasn’t really sure what to expect,” Johnson said shortly after the Spurs’ 111-109 win over the Thunder in the NBA Cup, giving Oklahoma City its second loss of the season. “I thought (Victor) did a phenomenal job of influencing the game without having to score.

“He was aggressive. He wanted to play with the basketball in his hand, but I thought he had a good impact on the game without having to score.”

Vembanjama played 21 minutes off the bench for the first time in his career as Spurs and Johnson closely monitored his minutes. He finished with 22 points and nine rebounds and was +21 off the bench, which is the biggest plus-minus on the team.

In a unique situation with emotions that flooded the atmosphere like the 7th game during the NBA Cup, Vembanyama was determined to give his team everything he had to ensure success.

Even so, it wasn’t just the Spurs leader who contributed.

De’Aaron FoxDevin Vassell and Stephen Castle led the way with 67 combined points, shooting 9-of-21 (42.9 percent) from three-point range in the win. While Wembanyama may be the engine of the Spurs, he wasn’t the reason they were able to take down the best team in the NBA – it was the collective effort that defined who this team is in San Antonio.

“I think all of these opportunities are learning opportunities to get better and to grow, and then obviously when you’re able to win, there’s something about confidence,” Johnson continued. “We’re very comfortable recognizing Victor as the face of our franchise and the biggest piece of our puzzle. But he’s not a puzzle per se, and he doesn’t want to be. We’re a team, and we’re a group.”

“All these games are moments and opportunities for us to continue growing.”

Victor Wembanyama boosts Spurs’ confidence

To say this was an emotional game for Spurs would be an understatement.

As soon as the final buzzer sounded, Vembanyama was the first to greet his teammates with a roar and raised arms in the air. He wanted to make a comeback in such a big game for his team, and made sure to speed up the celebration by running down the tunnel and screaming in the Spurs locker room, where Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” could be heard blasting through their speakers.

This may have been only Spurs’ 25th game of the season, but it was the most memorable and one that would set the scene for the rest of the season.

“It’s just amazing. I keep asking these guys for the last 12 games, just to get better, do some nice things. And I just wanted to be a part of that,” Vembanyama said with a huge smile on his face. “I’m glad we can still do that when I’m here. I’m happy about that, of course. But I’m just glad to be a part of something that’s becoming so beautiful. Such pure and ethical basketball.”

Every team in the NBA always wants to beat the best. Thunder, who were hunters last season, they became hunted this season with a big target on his back.

While Wembanyama and Spurs did not treat this game any differently in terms of preparation and the way they play, their way of thinking immediately moved on to winning this game by any means necessary.

“This is not a regular game; this is not a typical regular season game,” Vembanyama explained. “Because we know if we lose, we’re out. Some people are made for these moments, some aren’t. But we definitely are, and it shows, because we’re not against anyone we beat
the game. I feel happy. I’m glad we have this group because everyone embraces this, and everyone is made for these moments.

“For the first time in my career, we’re winning a lot more than we’re losing.”

Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox preach consistency, a collective mindset

It was clear that this win meant more to the Spurs, regardless of this counting as a regular season game.

The bottom line is that it wasn’t just another game for the Spurs, and they went out of their way to prove to the rest of the NBA that they are just as worthy as the Thunder to be in the conversation at the top of the league.

This team achieved success without Vembanyama, who was in the MVP conversation before his injury, and they are one win away from winning the NBA Cup.

No matter what outside buzz there is about this group after one win over Oklahoma City, the Spurs wanted this game because what does it prove to itself.

“I think it just shows that we’re serious. I think it shows our maturity, no matter who’s in the game,” Castle told ClutchPoints after the win. “We have a lot of guys that can contribute on any given night. People have been saying they (the Thunder) are unbeatable. We go into every game with the same mindset, so that shows what kind of team we are.”

Fox, who has become a leading voice in the Spurs locker room since arriving before the 2025 NBA trade deadline 10 months ago, said as much. Whether it’s Wembanjama, Fox, Castle or someone else, this group has no hierarchy when they’re together on the pitch, and the process of doing things the right way, regardless of the opponent, is what has led to their success.

That’s why the Spurs have put themselves at the forefront of every mind in the NBA, and that’s why Fox believes that as long as this team continues to believe in its collective mindset, the sky’s the limit for what they can accomplish.

“That’s what we preach. Obviously, it’s great to learn in the process while you’re winning. It’s always better to go through it like that than to have growing pains,” Fox said. “But we always go into every game, no matter who we’re playing, the best team in the league, the worst team in the league, whatever it is, and we take care of ourselves first.”

“We know if we go out there and execute to the point that we know we can execute, we’re going to give ourselves a chance to win no matter who we play.”