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Wembanyama's return creates playoff atmosphere for NBA Cup semi
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama. Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Victor Wembanyama's return creates playoff atmosphere for NBA Cup semifinal

By Sean Keane  |  Last updated Dec 12, 2025 7:36 PM ET

Organizers were worried about the attendance for the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas Saturday, after the popular, nearby Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated. The return of Victor Wembanyama should make for that disappointment.

Wembanyama was cleared to return to the court after the San Antonio Spurs practiced Friday. Barring a setback with the strained left calf that's kept him out for his team's last 12 games, Wemby should be starting against the 24-1 Oklahoma City Thunder in perhaps the biggest game of the season so far.

Victor Wembanyama is a massive difference-maker

Unlike most NBA teams, the Spurs have a group of athletic guards who can hang with all of the Thunder's group of strong, aggressive wings. But without Wembanyama, San Antonio has to rely on Luke Kornet, Jeremy Sochan and Kelly Olynyk to counter rising star Chet Holmgren in the middle.

Wembanyama changes the defensive picture by himself. He's tied with Myles Turner for second in the league in blocked shots, even though he's played 12 games to Turner's 26. Wemby may be uniquely suited to slow down MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander simply because his length allows him to block shots even when he's faked out of position.

Sometimes, the threat of Wembanyama's defense can cause opponents to avoid the paint, a place where Holmgren, Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell all like to operate. The Thunder are still the league's fifth-best three-point shooting team, but the Spurs defense, average without Wembanyama, could make OKC much less comfortable on offense.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Victor Wembanyama is an epic matchup

The Spurs should still be heavy underdogs to the Thunder, but Saturday is looking more and more like the first of many Spurs-Thunder battles. It's arguably the NBA's top superstar versus the player many think will be the future of the league. Gilgeous-Alexander is smaller and quicker, while Wembanyama is the tallest player in the league. SGA is Canadian, Wembanyama is French and the loyalty of the residents of Quebec will surely be tested.

It's also the first big test for the Spurs, who had their first sorta-big test facing the Lakers in the Cup quarterfinals, where they defeated LeBron James and Luka Doncic handily. They did that with a career game from last year's Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, who scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while playing physical defense and drawing foul shots. He played like a member of the Thunder, pretty much.

There's plenty of other intriguing players. Jalen Williams will be playing his seventh game of the season, while De'Aaron Fox will face the Thunder for only the second time as a member of the Spurs.

No. 2 pick Dylan Harper will be tested by the Thunder's smothering defense, while Harrison Barnes hasn't played a game this big against the Thunder since the 2016 Western Conference Finals when he was on the Golden State Warriors. He may have extra motivation, as the Thunder's 24-1 record through 25 games tied that Warriors team for the best start in NBA history.

It's intriguing enough that disappointed Lakers fans who bought tickets in advance may make the trip anyway. After all, Las Vegas is all about big events, and this is the biggest of the NBA season so far.

Sean Keane
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Sean Keane is a sportswriter and a comedian based in Oakland, California, with experience covering the NBA, MLB, NFL and Ice Cube’s three-on-three basketball league, The Big 3. He’s written for Comedy Central’s “Another Period,” ESPN the Magazine, and Audible. com

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