Welcome to the Week in Review: a Monday feature that looks back at the week that was for the San Antonio Spurs, takes a look at the week ahead, and more. Enjoy!
Week 9: After losing to the Knicks in a Cup
Finals game that doesn’t count in the standings, the Spurs swept an easy schedule for the rest of the week (two games against the cellar-dwelling Wizards and against the stumbling Atlanta Hawks) to rise up to second in the West.
Week 9: 2-1 (23-8, 2nd in West)
130-110 win vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Recap: Looking to show their Cup Semifinals win in Vegas was no fluke, it was a tight game for three quarters before the Spurs exploded in the fourth quarter, using a full team effort to get their second win of the season against the defending champions and 7th straight overall for the first time since 2019.
117-102 win at Oklahoma City Thunder
Recap: Many probably thought the Thunder would be out for vengeance on their own court, on Christmas no less, after suffering neutral site and road (for them) losses to the Spurs, but instead the Spurs proved they just might have their number, using excellent defense and a ruthless team attack to once again make the defending champions look pedestrian. As Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said afterwards, you don’t lose to a team three times in less than two weeks if they aren’t better than you.
114-127 loss vs. Utah Jazz
Recap: After the thrilling mini-series sweep of the Thunder, the Spurs walked into the ultimate trap game, and while they had avoided a few during their eight-game win streak, the Jazz finally caught them on an off night. Despite Victor Wembanyama returning to the starting lineup, the Spurs were missing De’Aaron Fox to a sore abductor, and his absence was felt as the Spurs’ offense went cold after the first quarter and never truly recovered. Despite a late rally attempt in the fourth quarter, they fell short, ending their win streak at 8 games.
Power Rankings
John Schuhmann, NBA.com — 1 (last week: 5)
OffRtg: 118.8 (5) DefRtg: 112.5 (5) NetRtg: +6.2 (6) Pace: 100.7 (18)
The Spurs’ eight-game winning streak (in games that count toward the standings) came to an end on Saturday, when De’Aaron Fox missed their game against the Jazz. But they still have more wins against the Thunder than the rest of the league, having beat the champs on a neutral court, at home and on the road.
Three takeaways
1. The Spurs are now the only team that ranks in the top five on both ends of the floor. They knocked the Thunder out of the top five on offense by holding them to just 107.0 points per 100 possessions over three meetings in the last 16 days. That includes just 88.9 per 100 in Victor Wembanyama’s 70 minutes. The Thunder average 51.3 points in the paint per 100 possessions overall, but just 33.3 per 100 with Wembanyama on the floor.
2. The defense is aided by the Spurs’ lack of turnovers against the Thunder. Their two wins last week were two of the seven times that the Thunder have forced fewer than 14 turnovers per 100 possessions. Fox had a quiet night scoring (six points) on Tuesday, but he led the way with 29 points on Christmas, and he has an assist/turnover ratio of 16/2 over the three games. Overall, the Spurs’ offense has been at its best (119.4 points scored per 100 possessions) with Fox on the floor.
3. But the loss to Utah without Fox was more about the defense. Wembanyama was in the starting lineup for the first time since his month-long absence, but the Spurs allowed 127 points on 99 possessions, their worst defensive game of the 19 that Wembanyama has played in.
Coming up: The Spurs’ two losses against the Eastern Conference (one that counts in the standings, one that doesn’t) have come against the Cavs and the Knicks. They’ll have opportunities to avenge them both this week.
Law Murray, The Athletic — 2 (last week: 5)
Time Capsule: Victor Wembanyama’s summer training
The Slenderman healed from deep vein thrombosis, shaved his head, met Harry Potter, let Kevin Garnett yell at him, went into the lab with Hakeem Olajuwon and declared beast mode. I hope he plays for 20 years. I strongly considered having San Antonio top this list, but the Spurs have lost their games immediately after playing the Thunder twice now. I know the first one didn’t count (NBA Cup vs New York Knicks), but these rankings are a vibe, and I’m willing to let Wemby cook now that he has the Spurs starting center position back from Luke Kornet.
Brett Siegel, Clutch Points — 1 (last week: 3)
It should come as no surprise to anyone that the Spurs are the new No. 1 team in the NBA power rankings heading into 2026. Not only has this young team defeated the Thunder three straight times in the span of 13 days, but San Antonio has been red hot as of late.
The Spurs’ win streak hit five games following their Christmas Day win over the Thunder, but it surprisingly ended with a 13-point home loss to the better-than-expected Utah Jazz. Still, the Spurs have only lost three games in December, and that includes their NBA Cup championship matchup against the New York Knicks, which technically doesn’t count.
Following their win over Oklahoma City, the Spurs find themselves as the only team in the league to rank in the top five in both offensive and defensive rating.
Coming up: Mon. 12/29 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers; Wed. 12/31 vs. New York Knicks; Fri. 1/2 at Indiana Pacers; Sat. 1/3 vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Prediction: 3-1 — The Spurs complete their rare three-game home stand with a chance to get revenge on the last two teams to beat them before the Jazz (even though the Knicks loss didn’t count in the schedule), followed by a back-to-back with travel against two struggling teams. Assuming they learn from the Jazz loss (and get Fox right back, which seems to be the case), they could just as easily sweep this week and start a new streak, but it’s another tiring stretch of games, so hopefully the near-week at home provides plenty of rest.
