Victor Wembanyama howled, Keldon Johnson pounded his chest and Stephon Castle mumbled some trash talk as he strutted off the Paycom Center court.
Together, through their body language and their play, the Spurs made a collective point: They aren’t scared of the Thunder. Not one bit.
The Spurs crashed Christmas in Oklahoma City, beating the Thunder 117-102 in a game all wrapped up in silver and black. Thunder-Spurs the threequel was a lot like Parts 1 and 2.
“We’ve failed the test three times in a row,” Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said.
That’s what made the result Thursday afternoon so stunning. From a psychological standpoint, a Thunder win seemed all but predetermined. After losing to the Spurs in the NBA Cup semifinal in Las Vegas and then getting drilled in San Antonio two days before Christmas, the stage was set for the Thunder to quiet all the Spurs talk by beating them in a marquee spot.
The opposite happened. The Spurs kicked the Thunder. Again.
Order book on Thunder’s run to NBA title
The Thunder is 0-3 against the Spurs and 26-2 against the rest of the NBA. Does that mean the Thunder has a Spurs problem? Sure seems like it, but if any panic is sweeping the plains, it’s wildly premature.
The three Thunder-Spurs matchups have told us way more about San Antonio than they have about Oklahoma City. We’ve learned that the Spurs are ready to contend. Like, now. They’re awfully reminiscent of the 2023-24 Thunder — a team that won 57 games, earned the No. 1 seed and lost in the second round to the Mavericks.
Like those Thunder, these Spurs are way ahead of schedule and ridiculously talented. They’re too young and naive to know that they have no business being this good.
They’re also totally unproven when it comes to playoff basketball.
All roads in the West still lead through Oklahoma City, and despite the lopsided regular-season series, the Thunder would and should be favorites against the Spurs in a seven-game series.
It was barely a week ago that we were talking about the Thunder breaking the all-time wins record and being one of the best teams of all time. Both of those things are still in play, by the way, even as the Thunder has dropped four of its last six games.
Counterintuitively, OKC’s worst stretch of the season has come when its roster has been the healthiest. The Thunder went 18-1 when Jalen Williams, an All-NBA player, was out. OKC is 8-4 since J-Dub has returned. Of course the Thunder is better with Williams than without him, but that’s a big piece to reintegrate mid season.
Chet Holmgren, who’s dealt with illness and back trouble, isn’t at the top of his game, either. And OKC was without rotational players Thursday in Ajay Mitchell and Jaylin Williams.
But no one is crying for the Thunder. Especially not the Spurs, who are still working Victor Wembanyama back into the lineup. Wembanyama played 26 minutes off the bench Thursday. He was ultra productive (19 points and 11 rebounds) in his brief stints, but it was Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox who outplayed everyone on the floor Thursday.
Meanwhile, Castle and rookie guard Dylan Harper are getting scarier by the game.
Over the course of three days, the Spurs twice torched OKC’s defense. A defense that’s still best in the NBA by far. Only twice this season has the Thunder allowed an opponent to shoot better than 50%. The Spurs shot 57% Tuesday and 53% Thursday.
OKC shot 39% Thursday, and that’s after starting a blistering 7-of-7 from the field. San Antonio is now responsible for two of the Thunder’s three-worst shooting games of the season.
Most impressive was the mettle the Spurs showed. They withstood the Thunder’s early barrage. They matched every OKC mini run with one of their own. They quieted the loudest arena in basketball and did so on a day when everyone was watching.
The Spurs, contrary to what the regular-season series suggests, aren’t better than the Thunder. That score won’t be settled until playoff time.
But here’s what you can say about the Spurs: They ain’t scared.
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.