SAN ANTONIO — Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs visit the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night at Paycom Center, aiming to stay perfect in four meetings with the defending NBA champions. After three wins over OKC in a two-week December burst, San Antonio believes the matchup is still pointing its way, Jan. 13, 2026.
Victor Wembanyama sets the tone again
Victor Wembanyama returned to the starting lineup Sunday in Minnesota and scored 29 points with seven rebounds and three steals in 27 minutes, a move that followed three games off the bench as he worked back from a left knee bone bruise, according to the San Antonio Express-News report on his return to the starting five. “It felt good,” Wembanyama said. “It helps set the tone.”
That tone will be tested against the West’s top team. The Thunder enter 33-7 and 19-2 at home, while the Spurs are 27-12 and tracking just behind them in the standings, per the game details and probable starters published ahead of the 7 p.m. tip. San Antonio is also expected to be without Devin Vassell (left adductor strain), a shortage that raises the stakes for every possession the Spurs can win with defense and rebounding.
Why the matchup has tilted San Antonio’s way
The Spurs’ three wins over OKC came in a December run defined by physicality and discipline, capped by a 117-102 Christmas Day victory that gave San Antonio a 3-0 edge in the season series, as detailed in ESPN’s recap of that win. San Antonio turned Oklahoma City’s usual tempo into a half-court grind, held firm through the Thunder’s spurts and protected the paint well enough to take air out of the building.
One reason is that the Spurs have not needed a one-man show to win this matchup. With multiple ballhandlers sharing playmaking duties, the big man can pick his spots, anchor the defense and punish switches instead of forcing shots. In The Athletic’s breakdown of San Antonio’s December sweep, Victor Wembanyama described the approach in plain terms: “What matters is to press where it hurts on the defense.”
What to watch Tuesday night
Oklahoma City’s pressure starts with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whose 20-point streak has climbed to 110 games, and with Chet Holmgren’s length behind him. San Antonio’s counter is to keep the ball moving, stay out of live-ball turnovers and let Victor Wembanyama’s rim protection cover for aggressive perimeter defense — the kind of insurance that can flip a two-point lead into a quick run.
The rivalry also comes with roots. A Reuters preview from Victor Wembanyama’s rookie season framed the first Holmgren matchup as a Rookie of the Year showdown — an early chapter that now reads like a preview of the West’s next long-term fight for position.
And the stakes feel different after what Victor Wembanyama has already navigated. Less than a year ago, he was ruled out for the rest of the 2024-25 season after doctors found a blood clot in his right shoulder, a season-altering diagnosis detailed by NBA.com.
San Antonio has beaten Oklahoma City three times, but the fourth is always the hardest — especially in a building where the Thunder rarely lose. For the Spurs, the clearest path is the same one that has worked in every win over OKC: defend, rebound and let Victor Wembanyama’s size and decision-making turn small advantages into runs.
