Spurs stake claim as NBA's best with Christmas Day win over Thunder

The San Antonio Spurs have become a serious problem.

On Thursday, the Spurs (23-7, second in Western Conference) celebrated Christmas Day with a third win in 13 days over the Oklahoma City Thunder (26-5, first in Western Conference), who were previously nearly unbeatable during a 24-1 start before discovering their kryptonite.

San Antonio Spurs could be team to beat in Western Conference after third 2025-26 win over Oklahoma City Thunder

San Antonio defeated the defending champion Thunder, 117-102, solidifying itself as the biggest threat to Oklahoma City's reign. The Thunder went 68-14 a season ago and tied the record for best 25-game start to a season in league history earlier this month.

Oklahoma City was a freight train, but San Antonio's eye-opening three wins have altered the Western Conference landscape. The Spurs might be the captain now.

Their three-game win streak over the Thunder is even more impressive considering star center Victor Wembanyama, has come off the bench each time after returning from a calf injury that cost him 12 games.

On Thursday, the Spurs were led by point guard De'Aaron Fox, who had a game-high 29 points. Wembanyama had a double-double in 26 minutes, recording 19 point and 11 rebounds. Arguably most impressive, however, was guard Stephon Castle, who was an efficient 8-of-11 from the court while scoring 19 points but had his biggest impact defending guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The 2024-25 league MVP was 7-of-19 on his field goal attempts, posting his worst shooting percentage (36.8 percent) of the season.

The Thunder have excelled at creating turnovers this season, with opponents averaging a NBA-high 18 per game entering Thursday. However, the Spurs have been great at protecting possession, particularly in the last two games.

Per NBA.com, the Thunder lead the league in points off turnovers (25 per game), but on Thursday, they only scored 13 off 13 turnovers. Overall, San Antonio is averaging 13.7 turnovers per game in its three games against Oklahoma City.

The Spurs' ability to chip away at the margins has leveled the playing field, and the results speak for themselves. San Antonio has proven itself to be every bit Oklahoma City's equal, if not more.