OKLAHOMA CITY — De’Aaron Fox scored 29 points, and the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-102 on Thursday for their third win over the defending NBA champions in the past two weeks.
The Spurs also defeated the Thunder in an NBA Cup semifinal on Dec. 13 and in San Antonio on Tuesday. The teams meet again on Jan. 13 in Oklahoma City.
Victor Wembanyama finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds while Stephon Castle had 19 points and 7 assists for the Spurs (23-7). San Antonio shot 53.6% from the field and held Oklahoma City to 38.9% shooting.
It was San Antonio’s eighth straight win and Oklahoma City’s second home loss of the season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 22 points, but the reigning league MVP made just 7 of 19 field goals. He scored at least 20 points for the 102nd consecutive game.
“We have to get better, as a group,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “You don’t lose to a team three times in a row, in a short span, without them being better than you. So, we have to get better, have to look in the mirror. And that’s everybody, from top to bottom, if we want to reach our ultimate goal.”
Isaiah Hartenstein contributed 13 points and 12 rebounds while Chet Holmgren added 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Thunder.
Oklahoma City started the season 24-1, tied for the league’s best record through 25 games. The Thunder are 2-4 since, including the three losses to the Spurs.
“When you play a team multiple times in short stretches, there’s a familiarity obviously that it brings,” Spurs Coach Mitch Johnson said. “And when you play a team of this caliber, the details are that much more magnified because of the familiarity. I thought we did a good job, thought we did a phenomenal job as the game progressed at adhering to those details and nuances.”
The Thunder made their first seven field goals and went up 18-12 before Fox helped the Spurs fight back. His 21 points in the first half helped San Antonio head into the break with a 69-60 lead.
“We had trouble getting stops at the beginning of the game but at least (Fox) was a little bit on the other end,” Wembanyama said. “He’s just a guy who can make things happen, so he’s really useful when we’re stuck in situations.”
The Spurs pushed the lead to 85-68 midway through the third quarter, and a dunk by Dylan Harper late in the third quarter put the Spurs up 91-74. The Spurs led 95-79 at the end of the period and maintained control from there.
KNICKS 126, CAVALIERS 124
NEW YORK — Jalen Brunson scored 34 points, reserve Jordan Clarkson had 25 and the New York Knicks came from 17 down in the fourth quarter to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers and win on Christmas Day for the third straight year.
New York reserves Tyler Kolek and Mitchell Robinson sparked the comeback after the Cavaliers led 103-86 early in the final period. Kolek finished with 16 points and nine assists, and had fans chanting his name after a late block on Donovan Mitchell that originally was called a foul but was overturned on review. Robinson hustled after offensive rebounds to keep possessions alive and finished with 13 boards, eight on the offensive side.
“Our bench was fantastic, and our bench basically won the game for us,” Knicks Coach Mike Brown said. “They put us in position down the stretch so a guy like Jalen, one of the frontrunners for the MVP in this league, so a guy like him can show everybody why he is that.”
Brunson made the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:05 remaining, after he, Kolek and Clarkson all hit from three-point range in a 13-2 run that cut Cleveland’s 12-point lead to 111-110.
Mitchell tallied 34 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Darius Garland added 20 points and 10 assists, but the Cavaliers blew their chance at a third straight win.
Evan Mobley finished with 14 points and nine rebounds after missing five games with a strained left calf.
“I’m thrilled that the guy got out there, and he felt great,” Cavaliers Coach Kenny Atkinson said of Mobley. “Obviously, you know how this is, first game out and you’ve been out for a while. But he gave us a big moral boost, we rallied around him. Yeah, sure, a little rusty, but that’s normal.”
The Cavaliers raced to an 18-3 lead behind 10 points from Mitchell and led 38-23 after one quarter. But Clarkson opened the second with consecutive three-pointers, and after a Cavaliers three-pointer the Knicks ripped off an 18-0 burst to take a 47-41 lead.
The Knicks made 12 of their first 14 shots in the second, before Mobley had Cleveland’s final four baskets as New York took a 60-58 edge into the break.
Cleveland quickly regained control in the third. Mitchell slammed down a lob pass that Garland threw from beyond halfcourt to cap a 10-3 burst to open the period, and Mitchell later hit a three-pointer to cap an 18-4 spurt that turned a 71-72 tie into an 89-75 advantage for the Cavaliers.
“Our guys, throughout the course of the game, plenty of opportunities to say, ‘Hey, 12 o’clock game, been through this, been through that, we’ll just cash it in and get the next one,’ ” Brown said. “But there was a lot of fight in our guys, and our guys just found a way to get a win. That’s what you need throughout a long season.”
WARRIORS 126, MAVERICKS 116
SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry scored 23 points and knocked down a key three-pointer with 3:45 left to help seal it, Jimmy Butler added 14 points, 9 assists and 9 rebounds, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks.
Mavericks star rookie Cooper Flagg finished with 27 points on 13-for-21 shooting, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in his Christmas Day debut while Brandon Williams scored 26 off the bench.
Klay Thompson returned to face his former Warriors team in the holiday matinee after missing Tuesday’s home game against Denver with soreness in his left knee. Thompson won four championships alongside Curry and made five All-Star appearances in 11 seasons with Golden State.
And former “Splash Brother” Curry, who reached 26,000 career points Thursday, kept sneaking a peek of Thompson’s warmup before they met at midcourt for a greeting and embrace. Thompson received a warm ovation when he entered the game for the first time with 5:51 remaining in the opening quarter.
“They don’t miss a thing, especially the Splash Bros out there,” Curry said of the crowd’s reaction to his meeting with Thompson. “Very sentimental moment I’m sure any time we’re in the same space. … That was cool for sure.”
Curry added, “It will never be normal seeing (Thompson) somewhere else, but it’s also we’re trying to deal with the here and now. We’re such competitors that no matter what position you’re in or situation you’re in with your team you feel like you can win and you have a lot to accomplish. It’s a great reminder of the journey, but you can’t really put too much extra emphasis on it. That time will come down the road.”
Mavericks center Anthony Davis didn’t return after exiting in the second quarter with groin spasms. Davis had 3 points, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks in 11 minutes. Daniel Gafford (El Dorado/Arkansas Razorbacks) contributed six points and five rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench for Dallas (12-20). P.J. Washington and Naji Marshall scored 14 points each, while Max Christie had 13 off the bench.
“Losing (Davis) hurt, one of our best players goes out,” Mavericks Coach Jason Kidd said. “But the next man up, and I thought the guys in the game fought, we just couldn’t get a stop when we needed to. This is a good game for us to learn from.”
Draymond Green started and contributed seven points and five rebounds playing in foul trouble two days after he and Coach Steve Kerr had a heated exchange during a third-quarter timeout against Orlando — with both later apologizing to each other.
Golden State (16-15) started 0 for 6 from three-point range before the Mavericks even attempted their first shot from deep. Moses Moody (North Little Rock/Arkansas Razorbacks), who finished with 12 points, connected at the 6:05 mark of the first quarter and that helped the Warriors get going — along with Al Horford.
Horford returned from a seven-game absence because of sciatica in his right leg. He came in at the 5:27 mark of the first and made all four of his three-pointers as the Warriors led 40-28 after one quarter. He finished with 14 points, De’Anthony Melton scored 16 and Brandin Podziemski contributed 13 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists off the bench.
ROCKETS 119, LAKERS 96
LOS ANGELES — Amen Thompson scored 26 points to lead six players in double figures and the Houston Rockets never trailed in beating Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kevin Durant added 25 points and nine assists for the Rockets, who ended a two-game skid while improving to 7-7 on the road. Thompson had seven rebounds and five assists.
Doncic scored 25 points and LeBron James added 18 points for the Lakers, who fell to 25-27 in their 27th consecutive appearance on Christmas and 52nd overall in a tradition that began in 1949. They’ve dropped three in a row overall.
Doncic and James went a combined 4 of 11 from three-point range. They also combined for nine of the Lakers’ 16 turnovers. Doncic returned after missing a loss at Phoenix after injuring his left leg in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers last weekend.
James and Durant squared off in the highest-scoring matchup in NBA history. No two opposing players ever entered a game with more combined career points — James came in with a league record 42,429 while Durant had 31,210 in regular-season games.
Alperen Sengun had 12 rebounds in helping the Rockets dominate the boards, 48-25. He had as many as the Lakers’ entire starting lineup combined.
The Rockets led by 14 points in the first quarter and were up 63-53 at halftime, when James had just eight points. Durant and Thompson had 16 each in the half.
Houston opened the third with an 18-5 run that extended its lead to 23.
The Lakers got no points from starter Rui Hachimura while losing starter Austin Reaves (Cedar Ridge) to a sore left calf. He had 12 points and didn’t return after halftime.
Oklahoma City Thunder Chet Holmgren (7) goes for the rebound against San Antonio Spurs forward/center Victor Wembanyama (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Gerald Leong)
San Antonio Spurs Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots against Oklahoma City Thunder center/forward Chet Holmgren (7) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Gerald Leong)
San Antonio Spurs Victor Wembanyama (1) drives against Oklahoma City Thunder guard/forward Jalen Williams (8) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Gerald Leong)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) block against San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Gerald Leong)