Stephon Castle didn’t make it far off the floor before the tunnel turned into a Spurs pep rally.
‘Go Spurs, Go! Go Spurs, Go!’
That same chant, which once was faint early in the battle, snowballed into a full-blown rally cry throughout timeouts and Spurs runs. Castle embraced the chant Thursday afternoon as he disappeared down the tunnel, equal parts celebration and confirmation of another massive victory.
“We needed that,” Castle said. “Our fans, they travel well wherever we go. So in a big game like this, I wouldn’t expect nothing less.”
For the third time this season, the San Antonio Spurs defeated the OKC Thunder, this time in a 117-102 road win in Paycom Center on Christmas Day.
De’Aaron Fox poured in a game-high 29 points to lead San Antonio. Star big man Victor Wembanyama added 19 points and 11 rebounds in just 25 minutes off the bench, continuing to play under a minutes restriction following his recent return from a left calf strain.
Order book on Thunder’s run to NBA championship
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 22 points on 7-of-19 shooting.
A 16-foot jumper by Castle late in the fourth quarter sent Thunder fans toward the exits early — which has been a rare sight this season.
The loss spoiled OKC’s first home game on Christmas Day since 2017 and handed the Thunder their first home defeat after opening the season 14-0 at Paycom Center.
“I think the one thing about this game was that it was a true road game,” Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said.
“We’ve played them on a neutral site. We played them at home. And so you can expect the natural variables of what the road brings, and in this one which is a hostile environment. You’re going to have to minimize runs and maximize your runs.”
San Antonio did exactly that.
The Spurs seized control with a flurry of runs across the second and third quarters. They closed the opening frame on a decisive 19-4 run before stringing together another 14-4 run midway through the second, and another 14-4 run to open the second half.
Oklahoma City entered the day ranked third in the league in third-quarter scoring, often fueled by Gilgeous-Alexander’s dominance.
That script never materialized. SGA went just 2-for-10 after halftime as the Spurs swallowed up driving lanes and turned patience into pressure.
“We learned that when you play a team multiple times in short stretches, there’s a familiarity that it breeds,” Johnson said. “When you play a team of this caliber, the details are that much more magnified because of the familiarity. I thought we did a phenomenal job as the game progressed at adhering to those details.”
Meanwhile, the Thunder looked uncharacteristically rushed.
It’s a trend that has surfaced in each matchup with San Antonio this season.
“When you want the game really badly, we kind of lost track of that,” Thunder forward Jalen Williams said. “And then every play we tried to make down was like a Hail Mary instead of sticking to principles regarding our offense. Every time we went through our progressions, we got really good looks.”
San Antonio has now won five straight and 12 of its last 15 games, including a 9-3 stretch without Wembanyama. The Spurs continue to profile as one of the league’s elite defensive teams.
At 23-7 and sitting second in the Western Conference behind only OKC, the Spurs aren’t waiting for their turn anymore.
Most expected San Antonio’s real push to come years down the line behind Wembanyama, Castle and Dylan Harper. Instead, it’s arriving early — and it’s coming straight at OKC’s hopes of repeating in 2026.
And if Thursday was any indication, San Antonio is taking notes.
“This (game) is like a playoff series,” Wembanyama said. “We learned a lot about them on the tactical side. … I don’t want to say too much about it. Keep something for us.“
Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at jdavis@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @thejordancdavis. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com