The Oklahoma City Thunder face the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night in a highly anticipated Western Conference showdown. Oklahoma City, with the NBA's best record at 26-3, seeks payback after San Antonio eliminated them from the Emirates NBA Cup semifinals earlier this month. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. CT at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
Two of the Western Conference's top teams collide when the Oklahoma City Thunder visit the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, December 23, 2025. The Thunder enter with a league-leading 26-3 record, including a 22-3 mark against Western opponents, and boast the NBA's best defense, allowing just 106.2 points per game while holding foes to 42.6 percent shooting. They also average 13.9 made three-pointers per game. Over their last 10 games, Oklahoma City is 8-2, scoring 122.8 points while shooting over 50 percent from the field.
The Spurs, sitting second in the West at 21-7, carry a three-game winning streak and rank sixth in NBA scoring at 120.1 points per game on 48.3 percent field goal shooting. They are 12-6 against Western teams and have gone 8-2 in their last 10, averaging 121.6 points. This matchup marks the second meeting this season; San Antonio edged Oklahoma City 111-109 on December 14 in Las Vegas during the Emirates NBA Cup semifinals, where Devin Vassell scored 23 points for the Spurs and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 29.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning Kia MVP, enters averaging 32.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and recently extended his streak of 20-plus point games to 100, a feat matched only by Wilt Chamberlain in NBA history. Victor Wembanyama is listed as questionable with a calf issue but averages 24.4 points on 51.3 percent shooting and has recorded a block in 101 straight games. For the Thunder, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Alex Caruso are available after recent absences, though Aaron Wiggins, Jaylin Williams, Ajay Mitchell (concussion), and Ousmane Dieng remain out.
The rivalry feels nascent but intense. "Winning against a team like this … it’s not an easy thing," Wembanyama said after the Cup win. "That’s only their second loss of the season – it means something." Gilgeous-Alexander added, "There’s a good chance [this rivalry grows]. They are young, really good, have a lot of talent – play the right way." Jalen Williams noted, "Anytime you get to play teams like that, it’s fun. It makes you better." The teams meet again on Christmas Day in Oklahoma City, heightening the stakes in this budding heavyweight clash.
