Wembanyama: Rivalry Between Spurs And Thunder Should Develop Naturally, Not Be Forced

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San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 130-110, strengthening talk of a growing rivalry, though Victor Wembanyama urged patience. The teams meet again on Christmas Day, yet Wembanyama stressed that the matchup still needs time before it can be regarded as a true rivalry.

The victory lifted the Spurs to 22-7 this season and extended their winning streak to seven games, currently the longest active run in the league. It is also San Antonio's best stretch since the 2018-19 campaign, underlining strong early-season form against the defending NBA champions.

San Antonio had already knocked Oklahoma City out of the NBA Cup semi-finals 10 days earlier, and this latest result added further weight to the Spurs vs Thunder rivalry discussion. That 20-point defeat was Oklahoma City's second-heaviest regular season loss over the past two seasons, behind a 27-point reverse against the Los Angeles Lakers in April.

Wembanyama recorded 12 points and nine rebounds, while Keldon Johnson and Stephon Castle combined for 49 points to drive the offence. The overall balance pleased Wembanyama, yet the forward was careful not to label the Thunder clashes as something bigger before it feels earned by both sides.

"It feels like saying it's a rivalry would be a weird thing because it's something that builds naturally,Wembanyama said. I didn't say that it's impossible that it can be [a rivalry] in the future. I hope it will be soon. But we're definitely getting closer. They're going to be locked in [on Christmas] more than any time before, probably. It's a resourceful team, but we're going to be there too."

Wembanyama pointed towards football for a model of what he considers a complete rivalry. The forward referenced the long-standing battles between Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille in France as a standard for intensity, history and emotion that basketball contests must match over many seasons.

"The signs are the arena is packed, the energy is different, the physicality from the first to the 48th minutes is up there, Wembanyama added. It's hard to describe, but it's like [in soccer] when PSG plays Marseille in France. This is a real rivalry. It's something that's built [over] years and years. It's not something you can just make up like this. It doesn't take away that it's a good matchup. But it takes a lot."

On the Thunder side, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a game-high 33 points and continued an impressive scoring stretch. The guard has now produced four straight 30-point outings, the third-longest such sequence of Gilgeous-Alexander's career, but that personal mark provided little comfort after another heavy defeat to San Antonio.

Free throws were a major factor. Gilgeous-Alexander attempted a team-high five free throws, yet Oklahoma City only reached the line seven times overall. In contrast, the Spurs took 24 free throws, reflecting their edge in physical drives and paint pressure throughout the contest.

"They really played the game on their terms on both ends of the floor, he said. They got whatever they wanted offensively, and then, defensively, they had us stagnant, had us playing over the top of them for the most part. When you play against a good team, you can't play like that for long periods of time because it'll chip away at itself. And next thing you know, you look up and there's a big lead."

The Spurs and Thunder still face each other three more times this season, adding further chances for tension to increase. With San Antonio in form and Oklahoma City carrying championship status, every meeting, including the Christmas Day clash, is likely to shape how any future rivalry between the franchises will be viewed.