Why Oklahoma City Thunder can suck life out of teams and break NBA win record

THERE’S nothing like presents and above all else, basketball, for NBA fans on Christmas Day.

NBA fans can watch five Christmas matchups, including the highly anticipated game between Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

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Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander seen during the team’s Tuesday loss to the San Antonio SpursCredit: Getty

Victor Wembanyama dribbling the ball against the Atlanta HawksCredit: EPA

Basketball fans are greeted with five top-notch Christmas games to watch, beginning at noon ET all the way to 10:30 pm ET.

The first matchup is the NBA Cup champion New York Knicks hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have struggled to start the season.

Then, the best contest on the slate is the Oklahoma City Thunder facing the San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs have beaten the Thunder twice in 11 days and will look to make it a third victory in nearly two weeks against the No. 1 seed squad.

The next three games will be Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors taking on the Dallas Mavericks, LeBron James and the LA Lakers hosting Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets, and Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets squaring off against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Will the Cavaliers continue their struggling ways? Can the Thunder finally beat the red-hot Spurs?

Those questions and more were answered on this week’s episode of The U.S. Sun Sport’s Ain’t That Our Ball.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS VS NEW YORK KNICKS

The Cavs have found things tough this season after earning the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with 64 wins in 2024.

They are just 17-14 in Kenny Atkinson’s second year at the helm.

“The pieces don’t seem to be jiving as well as they did last year. … Darius Gardland has been in-and-out of the lineup,” host Eric Schulkin said.

But NBA expert Johnny Lewis thinks Cleveland has time to figure it out.

“They are one of the teams that can turn it around pretty quickly. They have a very similar team from last year. They added some good people. DeAndre Hunter is really good,” he said.

“… They just have to find a new identity.”

Schulkin believes the East is wide open due to the numerous injuries to star players such as Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton.

Lewis thinks the No. 1-seeded Pistons and No. 2-seeded Knicks, the Cavaliers’ Christmas Day opponent, are the top teams in the conference.

And it’s safe to say both believe the NBA Cup champion 20-9 Knicks, led by star Jalen Brunson, will come away with the holiday win.

“It’s not a rivalry anymore,” Lewis said about the Cavaliers-Knicks history, as Schulkin then agreed with his take.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS VS OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

The Spurs currently has a seven-game winning streak and sit just 2.5 games back of the No. 1-seeded Thunder.

It’ll be a must-watch matchup against two of the best teams in the league.

“I’m excited for this one. Let me give some respect to the Spurs. What they’re brewing out there is really fruitful,” Lewis said.

The game is headlined by Spurs’ 7-foot-4 star Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is looking to win their second straight MVP title.

“These two guys are the new faces of the NBA,” Lewis said.

Lewis believes the Thunder, who mostly have everyone back from their 2024-25 title-winning team, are the best squad in the league.

“These dudes are mean. … They are set for the future. I see them steamrolling teams unless they get injured. They have a phenomenal team on defense and offense.

On the Spurs side, Schulkin has been impressed with San Antonio, which has a remarkable 9-3 record without Wembanayama, who missed games due to injury.

“They can win without Wemby. We’ve seen that,” he said.

Schulkin added that he’s been “so impressed by this three-guard rotation” of De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper.”

But both Schulkin and Lewis are more in awe of the 24-6 Thunder, with the two believing the team can break the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors’ win record (73).

“They can break this record. These dudes have got so many more levels to go up. They feel ahead of schedule from last year’s title,” Lewis said.

“The 2015-16 Warriors took the life out of you by hitting all those three and doing that motion offense. These Thunder, they smash your soul away,” Schulkin then said.

“… They steal the ball from you, run full court, and dunk it, and maybe they’ll do it again in the next possession.

“It’s why I think they can make history… they just take the will out of so many teams.”

HOUSTON ROCKETS VS LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Los Angeles Lakers star forward Lebron James reacts during a December 12 gameCredit: Reuters

Schulkin believes the 17-10 Rockets are the fourth-best team in the league.

“They’re stylistically a very unique team,” he said.

Lewis is a fan of the 2023 first-round pick Amen Thompson, who has averaged 17.6 points per game.

Houston will take on the 19-9 Lakers, who have been one of the most consistent teams in the league.

Lewis believes LA is one of the top five teams in the league, but he believes the team’s success comes down to LeBron James, who returned from his sciatica injury this month.

But the Lakers have to worry about injuries to Austin Reeves, Rui Hachimura, and, of course, Luka Doncic, who missed Tuesday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns.

Both Los Angeles and Houston enter the Christmas Day game with two-game losing streaks.

Nonetheless, it’ll be a duel between Kevin Durant and LeBron, with the latter holding a 3-1 record against his rival in the Christmas Day matchups.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES VS DENVER NUGGETS

Nikola Jokic reacts during a 2024-25 gameCredit: GETTY

The 21-8 Nuggets are the fourth-best team in the NBA, per Lewis.

The analyst believes superstar Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray “have been clicking.”

Schulkin is more bullish on the Nuggets, whom he has as his second-best team in the league.

“They are deeper this year,” he added.

Still, Denver will be without three of their starters (Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon, and Cameron Johnson) for the Christmas Game.

The Timberwolves haven’t been too shabby this season and have a 20-10 record, which is just 1.5 games back of Denver.

Minnesota is riding a three-game winning streak, and could make it a fourth-consecutive victory against a Nuggets squad that will have to rely heavily on Jokic and Murray.