Spurs extend winning streak over OKC during Christmas Day duel

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Is it now safe to say that the San Antonio Spurs are the Oklahoma City Thunder’s kryptonite?

Stats don’t lie. Three meetings, all wins. Even on a Christmas Day hangover, the Spurs still proved to be the superior team.

On Dec. 26, 2025, San Antonio pulled off another stunner as they remained the only team this NBA season to have Oklahoma’s number, 117-102, to rack up their eighth consecutive win.

A raucous Paycom Center immediately greeted the visiting Spurs, as Oklahoma was looking to get back at San Antonio after getting smashed, 130-110, on Dec. 24, 2025 — just hours before the NBA slated them for a highly anticipated Christmas Day matchup.

However, the script seemed unchanged, as San Antonio reasserted their mastery over the Thunder — even on their home floor, where they hadn’t lost a single game before receiving the Spurs’ mayhem.

Oklahoma had one of its best starts after going a perfect 7-of-7 from the field to build an 18-12 lead in the first quarter, but De’Aaron Fox delivered timely offensive hits to prevent a double-digit deficit for the Spurs.

However, the Thunder cooled down when the second quarter kicked off, which the Spurs took advantage of, courtesy of a balanced scoring effort from Harrison Barnes, Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama.

As a result, San Antonio took the lead back into their hands as they entered the second half carrying a 69-60 advantage, which they protected until the last 24 minutes expired.

A Dylan Harper slam dunk pushed San Antonio’s cushion to 91-74, backstopped by Keldon Johnson’s three-pointer that frustrated OKC head coach Mark Daigneault.

Perhaps the unsung hero of the Christmas Day clasico was San Antonio’s defensive game plan on reigning Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was held to his lowest-scoring output of the regular season.

A mixed man-to-man zone and baseline quick double-team met SGA every time, putting him in several isolation islands — a tactic the Spurs used minimally in their past two outings.

After 36 minutes of playing time, SGA had only 22 points, built from a dismal 7-of-19 shooting display from the field.

On the other hand, the signature OKC perimeter coverage didn’t bother Fox, who led all scorers in the game with 29 points, derived from an efficient 12-of-19 shooting, alongside four rebounds, three assists and a steal.

Despite coming off the bench, Wembanyama still put up his usual numbers and tallied 19 markers, 11 boards, two dimes, a steal and a block for the Spurs.

Castle matched Wembanyama’s offensive production, adding seven assists and four rebounds, while Barnes delivered 15 points and six boards.

San Antonio will gun for its ninth straight win on Dec. 28, 2025, against the Utah Jazz, while the Thunder aims to end its skid on Dec. 29 against Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers.