What We Learned From The Spurs Win Over The Thunder

SAN ANTONIO, TX - FEBRUARY 4: Keldon Johnson #3 of the San Antonio Spurs shoots a three point basket during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on February 4, 2026 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

It’s an inescapable reality that it takes a bit of luck to win an NBA championship. Look at the winners from any era, and you’ll see how attrition and misfortune affected the road. The defending champions in Oklahoma City have been unlucky lately as players have gotten banged up, and it could open the door for other teams.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s injury update on Wednesday, an abb strain that will sideline him at least until after the All-Star break, took the steam out of the matchup — and that was before they announced five other main rotation players who had played the night before were out with new “injuries”. Yet an understaffed crew can do damage when taken lightly, and that happened in the second half of the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the skeleton crew Thunder in their fifth matchup of the year.

Still, the Spurs did what they had to do to put the Thunder away down the stretch, and now both teams are only separated by five games, four in the loss column. With both SGA and Jalen Williams out for the foreseeable future, there may be a window for the Spurs to push for the first seed to secure home court advantage in the playoffs. Notably, since 1984, the first seed has won the title 26 times, the second seed has won eight, the third has won six and the sixth seed has won once.

Takeaways

• The Thunder were down by as much as 22 points, and credit to them for hanging in this game for so long. Still, the Spurs got a bit satisfied with themselves on the first night of a back-to-back, thinking their early shooting would cushion them the whole game, and that’s a habit they need to correct. Their defense was weak in the third quarter, allowing jumpers because of over-help, and they were fortunate it didn’t bite them, giving OKC six open shots. 
• It’s in Victor Wembanyama’s DNA to be an outside threat, yet his mentality against the smaller Thunder rotations was to attack the body. Hallelujah, he gets it now, and it doesn’t matter that he only shot 54.5 percent at the rim (12.2 percent below the league average), because his accuracy will elevate when he gets stronger. To his credit, he’s added power since entering the league, and if his strength catches up to his length, he could average his normal 77.2 percent shooting at the rim on at least 11 attempts, like he had Wednesday. 
• I can faintly hear Antonio Banderas play guitar and singing “Canción del Mariachi” from the film Desperado (1995) when Keldon Johnson starts lighting up opponents. Rarely can anyone point to a night this season in which he hasn’t brought it, even if the shots aren’t falling. He’s not a big man, but he’s putting up better shooting numbers around the rim than many of them due to sheer physicality while being a threat from other areas on the floor. The sixth man role has been perfect for him: he’s free to be the number one option of the floor like was has in their tanking years instead being limited to a spot-up shooter role in a crowded starting lineup. KJ for Sixth Man of the Year! 
• Teams have to rebound well to win championships, and the Spurs have been sharp in this department all year. They also set a new season high in Wednesday’s win (63), and have a 13-3 record this year when pulling in at least 50. Keep in mind that they were seventh in rebounding percentage when they won in 2014, 11th in 2007, second in 2005, sixth in 2003, and ninth in 1999. They are currently seventh in the NBA.
• SGA will need a replacement for the All-Star Game, and De’Aaron Fox plus Stephon Castle are worthy nominees (unless his replacement is required to be a “world” player — one of the oddities of this new format). Consider how Fox is averaging the second-highest effective field goal percentage of his career (54.7), and logging a 2.48 assist-to-turnover ratio. His torque and speed make his game attractive and a great fit for the exhibition. Castle’s efficiency numbers aren’t as high, but you won’t find 15 other players in the league giving their team 16 points with top-shelf on-ball defense, like he is.