Spurs vs Thunder: Win Not Yet a Rivalry | NBA News

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs are the fittest-looking NBA team. And they have achieved it just one year after two of the worst seasons in the history of the franchise.

So it’s understandable that players and fans celebrate a win in December as if it were 1999 and their first NBA championship.

San Antonio routed Oklahoma City 130-110 on Tuesday night. Thus giving the Thunder their worst loss of the season and their second loss against the Spurs in 11 days.

It was the Spurs’ seventh consecutive victory, the longest active streak in the league. However, the confrontation between these teams should not be considered a rivalry. At least not yet.

“I don’t see it as a budding rivalry. Our team has been together for about 25 games,” said San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson, referring to Oklahoma City. “That team won 16 games in the playoffs last season to win a championship. I don’t want to disrespect their program and what they’ve built. We’re trying to build something and we’re chasing every other team in this league.”

The Spurs and Thunder will play for the third time in two weeks on Thursday in Oklahoma City.

San Antonio beat Oklahoma City 111-109 on December 13 in the NBA Cup semifinals.

“It’s good that we get to play them as much as we do because they’re a really good team,” Thunder forward Jalen Williams said.

San Antonio has won 14 of 17, including victories against the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers, and has moved into second place in the Western Conference.

Keldon Johnson scored 25 points, Stephon Castle added 24 and Harrison Barnes had 20 on Tuesday for the Spurs, who moved within 3 1/2 games of the Thunder atop the West. San Antonio outscored Oklahoma City 43-28 in the fourth quarter, turning what had been a tense duel with 15 upsets and 13 ties into a blowout.

“I think it would have been a great game to watch,” Spurs star Victor Wembanyama said. “I’ll see him again.”

Wembanyama almost watched the match from the best seat at the sold-out Frost Bank Center.

The 7-foot-3 center was downgraded to questionable on Monday as he continues to rehab a left calf strain that kept him out for 12 games. He was cleared to play half an hour before kick-off and came off the bench for the sixth consecutive time since his return.

“He’s a really good player, but he’s not his whole team at all. They have a lot of good players, they have good balance, they’re well coached,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault. “They were super sharp tonight. They played with great purpose and executed the plays very well.”

The Spurs have had seven different points leaders during their longest winning streak since 2015.

“We do it as a team. Every night it could be someone different and it has been someone different every night,” Keldon Johnson said. “We know we have that luxury, that we can have multiple players that can have a good night, but we all understand the team aspect that if someone is on a roll, we have to give them the ball.”

It’s a welcome change for a storied franchise that has fallen on dark times.

The Spurs tied an NBA record with 22 consecutive postseason appearances beginning in 1998, one season before capturing their first of five titles. San Antonio has missed the playoffs in six consecutive seasons since then.

The Spurs finished 34-48 last season after back-to-back 22-60 campaigns, one loss shy of the franchise’s worst record of 21-61 set in 1989. San Antonio has bounced back this year, starting with a franchise record of 5-0.

“This tells me how much we have improved since the beginning of the season,” Wembanyama said of Tuesday’s victory. “We can still improve a lot, but it means something, without a doubt.”

Until then, Wembanyama rules out any talk of a rivalry with the reigning champions.

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