Christmas Day is a tent pole day on the NBA calendar. Come diehards come casuals it is a main event during the Holiday season and the most viewed date in the regular season.
Former NBA player Kendrick Perkins believes the Oklahoma City Thunder face a critical psychological test on Christmas Day when they host the San Antonio Spurs, framing the matchup as a must-win despite Oklahoma City’s status as the defending champions.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have the best record in the league once again, as they are currently 26-4. Funny enough, three of those losses have come in the past five games, and two of them have been at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs.
[Editor’s note: This article is from Athlon Sports’ 2025 “Year in Review” magazine, which celebrates the year’s champions and relives the biggest moments from across the world of sports.
Christmas Day's matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs has plenty of branches off the topic tree to pick from, fittingly enough.
Christmas and the NBA go hand-in-hand. The day serves for the top hoops league in the world, like Thanksgiving for the NFL. However, while the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys are perpetual Thanksgiving participants, the NBA has mixed up the matchups and the teams throughout the years.
Let’s be clear here: Oklahoma City should not be hitting any sort of panic button. But after the last week and a half, this team appears to be a little bit less invincible than we thought.
Jalen Williams and the Oklahoma City Thunder have surrendered four losses on the second night of back-to-backs, but the All-Star forward isn’t making excuses.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is set to reach a rare milestone on Christmas Day as the Oklahoma City Thunder prepare to host the San Antonio Spurs in a nationally televised matchup on ABC and ESPN.
Even though the Oklahoma City Thunder has faced some challenges lately, it’s undeniable that they’ve been nearly perfect for most of the season, considering they are the defending champions.
Following the worst loss of the season, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault says the San Antonio Spurs’ “statement” win gives his team plenty to learn from between now and Christmas Day.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have started the season at a historical pace, then lost three of their last five games, standing at 26-4. The Thunder possesses a few areas that need improvement.
After a 24-1 start to the 2025-26 NBA season, the Oklahoma City Thunder are finally starting to appear mortal again. The team has dropped three of its last five games, with two losses coming at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs, and the other coming in Minnesota to the Timberwolves.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder are in San Antonio to face the Spurs tonight. Less than two minutes into the game, the reigning MVP faced backlash from the hostile crowd at the Frost Bank Center.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put on a show to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder past the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night. With a 119-103 win, the Thunder moved past Memphis with ease.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points as Oklahoma City remained the NBA's only team with a perfect home record, as the Thunder posted a 119-103 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder are seeking a bounce-back win on Monday night against the Memphis Grizzlies. The defending champions are coming off a disappointing 112-107 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, which marked their second loss in three games.
On Saturday, Alex Caruso was in College Station, Texas, to watch his alma mater, Texas A&M, in the College Football Playoff. Monday, he'll be in Oklahoma City playing for the Thunder when they take on the Memphis Grizzlies.
Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder are in a bit of a slump of late. After starting the NBA season with a 24-1 record, the defending champions have suddenly lost two out of their last three games.
For a team that rarely stumbles, Saturday’s loss to San Antonio felt loud. Oklahoma City answered it quietly and decisively. The Thunder looked very much like themselves again Thursday night, rolling past the Clippers 122-101 and reminding everyone why the West still runs through them.