In the aftermath of the latest Thunder vs Spurs matchup, it seems that Oklahoma City fans are panicking with the team’s disappointing games. Sure, we have seen some alarming performances from OKC players. We’ve seen how different San Antonio players shine in each win. And most of all, we’ve seen how the defending champs continue to struggle against the Texas squad.
Now more than ever, critics are naming the Spurs as OKC’s “Kryptonite.” It’s fair to say the Spurs have been playing hard in their games against the Thunder. Considering how good Oklahoma City is playing this season, beating them is a goal for all 29 teams at this point.
Fans Should Not Overreact to the Thunder vs Spurs Results
But like any other regular season, it does not end in 29 games. There are still a whole lot of games to play. It’s a long season full of ups and downs. No one has ever finished undefeated, and that’s why Thunder fans should quit overreacting to this poor stretch by OKC. After all, no team is perfect, and Oklahoma City has a chance to learn from its mistakes.
Shooting is a Solvable Problem
Remember, OKC is not one of the biggest three-point shooting teams in the league. They are shooting 36.9% from deep this season. In the Christmas loss to the Spurs, they made 11 of 44 attempts, which is a staggering chunk of their 95 field goals attempted in the game. To sum it up, OKC shot 25% from three, which is a very poor rate for a defending champion.
However, this should not be a reason for fans to worry. Remember, we’re just closing in on the midway of the season—a few months from the All-Star Break. Suffice it to say, that just means that OKC has a lot of games to make adjustments and tweak their shooting to begin with. Now more than ever, we should expect the Thunder to get back on track in the coming games.
Keys to beat the Spurs:
1. Make your Open 3s
2. Chet has to guard Wemby
3. Jdub and Shai have to be efficient
4. Have to hustle every play
5. Can’t be scared to drive on Wemby… definitely need a lob threat.— 𝙎𝙂𝘼 (@Playoffcity) December 25, 2025
Keep in mind that the Thunder just shot a meager 37.4% from three last season. That’s the same squad that won the NBA Finals last June. It is the OKC roster that also endured a Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers on the road, while making just three of their 16 threes. It’s the grit that puts them ahead in their games, and that’s been missing so far.
Free Throws Don’t Make a Difference
Let’s get one thing straight. The Thunder don’t benefit a lot from officiating as most people think. For starters, the Orlando Magic leads the league in most free throws attempted per game at 28.7. To add to the context, the Spurs rank ninth in most attempts per game at 25.8, while OKC goes way below at 23.8—ranked 20th overall.
Still, not getting a huge favor of officiating is never an excuse for losing a game. It’s the Thunder’s lack of intensity. It’s the lack of finishing as they continue to settle for mid-range jumpers and a whole lot of threes. Not even the defending champions are immune to flaws. Sure, the Thunder get some calls going their way, but they don’t need to rely on that to win games.
The Thunder shot 7 free throws. That is tied for 3rd fewest free throws shot of the 1,388 games in team history.
— OKC Thunder Stats (@ThunderNumbers) December 24, 2025
Remember, this same Thunder team has beaten nearly the same Spurs squad multiple times last year. To their credit, San Antonio has really leveled up their game. They are more ferocious and are doing a hell of a lot more plays than OKC used to. So even though their second game saw Oklahoma City shoot just seven free throws compared to the Spurs’ 24, that’s never a valid excuse.
A Bigger OKC Mentality is On the Way
One of the biggest things about last season’s Thunder championship is the “0-0 mentality.” Every after game, they reset everything back to zero, so whatever the previous result was, they move forward from it. This has been missing in the past few games—probably due to the high expectations placed before them. For instance, Oklahoma City has lost only once in November, which was a close fight.
December, however, seemed off—both on OKC’s level of play and their overall approach. It does seem that complacency has settled in and they aren’t playing as hard as they used to last season. If you’re not convinced, four of the five Thunder losses came in December. What’s more is that the margin of losses is on the rise, especially in the back-to-back losses to SAS.
But for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, this is a chance for him and the Thunder to bounce back and prove their worth on the big stage. He has acknowledged just how good the Spurs have become so far. Now it’s on to show that they have what it takes to adapt, improvise, and overcome.
After all, there are still two sets of Thunder-Spurs games in 2026. Keep in mind that while the season series is set at 3-0, the other game was an NBA Cup clash. That just means that it’s 2-0 by technicality. The last time OKC had a fierce rival like this? The Denver Nuggets last year, and the season series went 2-2.
So the next time you look out for a Thunder vs Spurs showdown, expect bigger improvements from OKC. In fact, expect all the best that they have to offer heading into 2026. A growth in mentality and level of play is long overdue for Oklahoma City.
© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
