The San Antonio Spurs continued to be a thorn in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s otherwise dominant start to the season, handing the defending champions another lopsided loss on Christmas Day. Oklahoma City has now dropped four of its last six games, with three of those defeats coming at the hands of San Antonio.
Thunder stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams were both limited offensively, but couldn’t help praising what makes the Spurs such a difficult matchup. When asked about the challenge, Williams delivered a blunt and humorous response, pointing to a towering presence on San Antonio’s roster.
Jalen Williams Knows Exactly What Makes Spurs So Different
In an otherwise stellar campaign in which Oklahoma City has suffered only five losses, the San Antonio Spurs have now accounted for three of them, establishing themselves as a rare matchup nightmare for the Thunder.
After the game, both Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander acknowledged the Spurs’ success. When asked what makes San Antonio so difficult to face, Williams pointed, with a hint of humor, to the impact of Victor Wembanyama’s towering presence.
“There’s this guy on their team that’s 7 foot 5 and takes up a lot of space on the court,” Williams said postgame.
JDub on what makes the Spurs so hard to stop:
“There’s this guy on their team that’s 7 foot 5 and takes up a lot of space on the court” 😅 pic.twitter.com/zsjyzAaiUw
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) December 26, 2025
Wembanyama may still be in the early stages of his development, but his influence is already unmistakable. Before a brief slowdown caused by injury, he helped power the Spurs to the best start in franchise history. While he remains on a minutes restriction and continues to come off the bench, the French star has wasted little time making his presence felt.
He finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, and one block, shooting an efficient 6-of-12 from the field. Though the stat line wasn’t explosive, his impact extended far beyond the box score, as his size altered shots, spacing, and offensive decision-making throughout the game.
De’Aaron Fox led San Antonio with 29 points, consistently applying pressure and capitalizing on transition opportunities to keep the Thunder on their heels.
For Oklahoma City, Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 22 points, six rebounds, and four assists on 7-of-19 shooting, an inefficient night by his lofty standards, while Williams also struggled, scoring just 12 points. The loss marked only the Thunder’s second defeat at home this season, adding further weight to San Antonio’s statement win.
The Spurs’ dominance over OKC didn’t begin on Christmas Day. Their first upset came in the NBA Cup semifinals, when Wembanyama returned from a calf strain and came off the bench for the first time in his career, yet still managed to help stun the Thunder.
They met again two days later, with San Antonio cruising to a 20-point victory despite Gilgeous-Alexander’s 33-point effort.
Despite the Christmas loss, Oklahoma City remains atop the Western Conference at 26–5, while the Spurs are closing the gap at 23–7. The intraconference rivals will face off for the fourth of five meetings this season on January 13 in Oklahoma City.