By Christian Clark, Law Murray, Jared Weiss and Zach Powell
The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to look terrifying in their NBA title defense. In Wednesday’s NBA quarterfinal, the Thunder led by as many as 53 points in a 138-89 rout of the Phoenix Suns.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points and handed out eight assists, while Chet Holmgren added 24 points and three blocks as the Thunder improved to 24-1 this season and advanced to the NBA Cup semifinals, where they will face the San Antonio Spurs.
The Thunder are tied with the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors for the best record through 25 games in NBA history. Those Warriors went on to win 73 regular-season games, the most ever in a season. This Thunder team looks capable of challenging that record, though Oklahoma City — always mindful of living in the moment — is loath to talk about it.
Mentally, we’re still here 😤 pic.twitter.com/4R0ixL5Kfb
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 11, 2025
Suns slowed without Booker
The Suns were missing leading scorer Devin Booker, who was sidelined for a third consecutive game with a right groin strain. They didn’t have near enough offensive firepower to contend with the Thunder’s top-ranked defense. On the first play of the game, Thunder guard Cason Wallace pried the ball away from Suns guard Collin Gillespie and scored in transition.
Suns guard Grayson Allen was ejected in the third quarter after forcefully shoving Thunder forward Chet Holmgren as Holmgren set a screen and Allen tried to get through it, leading to a brief altercation. — Christian Clark, senior NBA writer
Thunder cruise
The Thunder built a 26-point halftime lead, a lead they more than doubled in the second half. Branden Carlson’s alley-oop dunk with 4:10 remaining in the fourth quarter increased Oklahoma City’s lead to 53 points.
Gilgeous-Alexander watched the entire fourth quarter from the bench. He’ll be well-rested as Oklahoma City attempts to do one of the few things it failed at last season: winning the NBA Cup, which it lost in a championship game defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks. Oklahoma City needs two wins in Las Vegas to become the third Cup champion since the NBA started this tradition in 2023.
The Thunder collected their 16th straight win, a franchise record. — Clark
A Lakers defensive implosion
There will be a new NBA Cup champion.
The Los Angeles Lakers, winners of the inaugural In-Season Tournament, fell to the San Antonio Spurs 132-119 on Wednesday. It was not a banner night for the Lakers defense, which allowed 104 points through three quarters and a season-high point total overall.
San Antonio’s Stephon Castle drew numerous fouls on Lakers defenders, then showed he’s a good enough shooter to beat the Lakers as well, making three 3-pointers and hitting on 7 of 9 from the free-throw line en route to a season-high 30 points.
A masterclass from @StephonCastle 🤌🏰
30 PTS, 10 REB, 6 AST pic.twitter.com/4MXxx6ElVn
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 11, 2025
If Castle wasn’t getting wherever he wanted, the Lakers were losing track of San Antonio’s bench shooters, allowing a total of five first-half 3s to Spurs reserves Keldon Johnson and Julian Champagnie.
The Lakers allowed an 8-0 run to begin the second quarter and a 10-0 run shortly after Austin Reaves began the fourth quarter with a 3 — 18 points in two stretches in a game ultimately decided by 13.
The Lakers were also beaten when they tried to go small, with Spurs center Luke Kornet making 8 of 9 free throw attempts. The Lakers had to try something: They were outscored by 10 points each with starting center Deandre Ayton or backup Jaxson Hayes on the floor.
The Spurs head to Las Vegas to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, while the Lakers will head to a different desert to visit the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. Nine days ago, the host Suns blew out the Lakers, who will not return home until Christmas for a matchup with the Houston Rockets.
The Milwaukee Bucks, who won last season’s NBA Cup, were already eliminated. — Law Murray, NBA staff writer
Spurs prove themselves, even without Wemby
When Victor Wembanyama first went down with a calf injury, the Spurs had to figure out their identity without their franchise cornerstone. What does a team with three point guards look like without a great big to dominate from above?
The Spurs have proved they can sprint and shoot their way through just about any other team in the league, even without Wemby.
Now they are off to Vegas after a great shooting performance early turned into a transition fiesta in the second half vs. the Lakers. They took Luka Dončić out of the game in the fourth quarter.
Castle, De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper all had their moments dominating the paint and kicking the ball out to their shooters. This team has been adaptable on a nightly basis and looks significantly more connected than it did even a month ago. Now they are two wins from a fat check to reward them for it. — Jared Weiss, Spurs writer