Thunder's Regular-Season Matchups Against The Spurs Show There Is Work To Be Done

Oklahoma City doesn't have the best track record against the Spurs, but that doesn't mean all hope is lost.

Jan 13, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots and scores a basket as San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie (30) defends during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Thunder can’t let the regular season be an indicator of what is to come in the Western Conference Finals. 

Oklahoma City officially has an opponent for the conference finals, as the San Antonio Spurs took down the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 6 on Friday night to win the series 4-2. This sets the stage for a highly anticipated series that is set to start on Monday. 

The Thunder will be looking to keep their perfect postseason record alive and take down San Antonio to reach the finals once again, but the regular season isn’t a great sign for what might be to come. 

The Thunder and Spurs met each other five times in the regular season, and OKC fell short in four of these bouts. This has led to this anticipated matchup, as the Thunder are looking to prove that the regular season truly meant nothing. 

Some losses can be attributed to something as simple as injuries. The last time these two teams met up, not a single current starter for the Thunder stepped onto the hardwood. Even with this as the case, OKC kept the game tight, only losing by 10 points. 

However, some games came down to the Thunder being straight-up outplayed by San Antonio. One of the things that set San Antonio apart from OKC was the Spurs' three-point shooting. In three of the four Thunder losses, Oklahoma City was outshot from beyond the arc. The Thunder’s inability to keep up with the Spurs from deep put them in a rough spot and made them have to play catch-up. 

Another key factor is the fact that San Antonio is able to combat the Thunder well in terms of turnovers. Oklahoma City has prided itself on pulling away in games from its points off turnovers, but it wasn’t able to do that against the Spurs. The Thunder scored more points off turnovers in three out of the five matchups, but the biggest difference in the two teams' totals in these three games was only three points. 

Both of these issues that the Thunder faced are simple and can be fixed easily, and they might be all it takes to finally push past San Antonio. Oklahoma City will need to keep up the three-point shooting it has displayed lately, as well as make sure it stays true to its well-known defense. 

The Western Conference Finals will be the biggest games of the year for the Thunder, and if they want to be games that go in OKC’s favor, the Thunder will have to fix mistakes made in the regular season.